CEBU CITY — Dismissed Cebu City mayor Michael Rama has openly criticized his former ally, Raymond Alvin Garcia, who now sits as the city's chief executive.
During a press conference on Thursday, Rama repeatedly referred to Garcia as a "mananapaw," or usurper.
Rama also instructed his legal team to initiate the filing of charges against Garcia, describing this action as "long overdue."
"I am now, and I have been, telling my lawyers — [it's] already long overdue — to file all cases against the usurper. File all cases available against the usurper. That is my direction," Rama said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
Rama expressed confidence that the cases against the mayor will hold ground, stating, "We have a legal and substantial foundation to file a case, and I am very serious about it. It's better late than never against Raymond Garcia."
He also said Garcia's assumption of office "lacks legitimacy."
Rama asserted that he is still the duly elected mayor of the city and clarified that he has neither been dismissed nor lawfully removed from his position.
"Mike Rama is still alive, but he is no longer in his position because it has been usurped... I am just being frank," he added.
He then challenged the validity of Garcia's authority, labeling it as "hasty and invalid."
Garcia, who served as Rama's running mate in the 2022 elections and was elected vice mayor, took on the acting mayor role after the Ombudsman suspended Rama and several other city hall officials in May 2024 due to alleged grave misconduct regarding unpaid employee salaries.
Before his six-month suspension ended, the Ombudsman found Rama guilty of nepotism and grave misconduct on Oct. 3, resulting in his dismissal from service and disqualification from holding any government position.
Despite the Ombudsman's ruling, Rama submitted his certificate of candidacy (CoC) for mayor in the 2025 elections.
Garcia, on the other hand, is also in the running for the mayoral position, with Jose Daluz III, former chairman of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District, as his running mate.
Just hours after Rama filed his CoC, news of the Ombudsman's decision to dismiss Rama from government service emerged online.
Rama, however, continues to assert his eligibility for public office, pointing out that he has not received an official copy of the dismissal order from the Ombudsman.
Rama also said his legal team has consulted with the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas and the Department of the Interior and Local Government Central Visayas (DILG 7), both of which he claims were unaware of any official decision mandating his removal.
Efforts by the Cebu City Police Office to serve Rama a copy of the Ombudsman's decision on Oct. 5 were unsuccessful, as Rama's team did not accept the document, arguing that it was not delivered by an official Ombudsman representative.
Rama also criticized the "indecent" withdrawal of his police security detail following Garcia's oath-taking on Oct. 9, a move executed by DILG 7 Director Leocadio Trovela.
On Oct. 22, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) regarding Comelec Resolution 110044-A, which calls for the immediate disqualification of candidates facing the Ombudsman's perpetual disqualification.
Rama's legal team, led by lawyer Joselito Thomas Baena, said that a Supreme Court TRO does not have an expiration date and will remain in effect until lifted or until the high court decides on the petition.
Garcia has yet to release a statement regarding Rama's allegations.