DILG to Proceed Hearing Case Vs Rama, et al.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has decided to resume the hearing of the administrative case filed by lawyer Reymelio Delute against Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and several other city officials.

The DILG denied the motion filed by the mayor, through the Cebu City Legal Office, seeking for the dismissal of the case in relation to the granting of P20,000 calamity assistance to each of its officials and employees in December 23, 2013.

In the DILG order, the resumption of the hearing is scheduled on February 23 where the complainant is allowed to present additional set of evidences to support his case.

But City Legal Officer Jerone Castillo said they will contest the DILG order that may probably delay the hearing.

The DILG said the prejudicial question in law and jurisprudence as raised during the hearing to be “untenable to warrant the suspension of the proceedings, much more, for the dismissal of the complaint.”

According to the DILG that the allegation in the complaint does not rest on the proposition of declaring the City Ordinance 2379 valid or not, rather on the alleged impropriety of giving calamity assistance to city’s employees and officials who reportedly were not affected by calamities.

Delute, a supporter of former Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña, claimed that the move of the mayor, supported by the majority of the members of the City Council headed by Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella is highly questionable.

Despite that Delute is a BOPK supporter, but he included in the complaint those BOPK-allied councilors who supported the mayor’s move of granting the calamity financial assistance of P20,000 and even received their shares.

Delute said he will submit to the DILG investigators the compy of the Notice of Disallowance issued by the Commission on Audit (COA) directing the mayor and other concerned city officials and employees to refund the government of the amount they have received.

The case was originally filed by Delute before the Office of the President, but Malacañang tasked the DILG to be the ones to conduct the investigation.