DISMISSED Cebu City mayor Michael Rama dared authorities to arrest him as he declared himself the rightful mayor of the city during a press conference on Thursday and branded Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia as a 'fake mayor.''Arrest me,' Rama said.Rama's bold statements came during his first public appearance on Thursday after returning from a monthlong honeymoon following his church wedding.Surrounded by his allies from the City Council and supporters, Rama asserted that the Ombudsman's Sept. 9 dismissal order against him had not been legally enforced.Rama argued that the order was 'illegal' and lacked finality, emphasizing that only the Supreme Court could definitively rule on his disqualification.Rama's camp firmly rejected Garcia's claim to the mayoralty, describing the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) 7 memorandum that declared Garcia mayor on Oct. 9 as invalid.Lawyer Mikel Rama, the former mayor's son, said the DILG memorandum was nothing more than a 'scrap of paper' and lacked an official Ombudsman directive for implementation. Mikel also pointed out that the Ombudsman had not directly communicated with them about the dismissal order or its enforcement.Tensions at Cebu City Hall reached a boiling point on Nov. 8 when former city administrator Collin Rosell was arrested and handcuffed after attempting to return to his office.Authorities charged Rosell with 'usurpation of authority.'Rama, however, criticized the arrest as 'excessive' and comparing it to an attack on the people who had voted him into office.During the press conference, Rama also questioned Garcia's legitimacy, accusing him of being too eager to claim the mayoral position.He also criticized Garcia for padlocking the Office of the Mayor, Rama's old office, describing it as a 'padlocking of the people's office.'Rama noted that the office remained untouched during his absence, which he saw as evidence that Garcia and his team lacked confidence in their position.Garcia, however, defended his actions, stating that his assumption of the mayoralty position followed legal protocols. He advised Rama's camp to bring their grievances to court and return with proper legal orders instead of creating tension at City Hall and disrupting the office work.Rama's supporters, meanwhile, rallied around him, chanting 'FM' or 'fake mayor' in a direct challenge to Garcia's authority.Rama expressed gratitude that his office had remained intact, viewing it as a sign of respect for his position and his supporters.Despite repeated declarations of his return, Rama has not provided a specific timeline for resuming office. Instead, he added that his duties as mayor extend beyond physical presence at City Hall.'Anywhere can be my office,' he said.Rama also emphasized that his term as mayor, elected by over 200,000 votes, remains valid until June 2025.Garcia, meanwhile, said Rama has already been dismissed from office and no longer has power in the city government.The controversy stems from the Ombudsman's decision to dismiss Rama for hiring two brothers-in-law in positions at the city government from January to December 2022 following his marriage to their sister in October 2021.Rama denied the nepotism charge, stating that the hiring preceded his marriage and had been retained through the tenure of multiple mayors.Rama also highlighted his family's adherence to ethical governance, referencing his grandfather Don Vicente Rama's strict teachings against nepotism.He cited an instance where he denied his mother's request to hire a relative, reinforcing his stance that he has always followed ethical standards in governance.Rama has since filed a 36-page petition with the Supreme Court, seeking to nullify the Ombudsman's decision and a Commission on Elections resolution that would disqualify candidates with pending dismissal orders.
