Garcia feels vindicated after dismissal of 6th admin case

Local

CEBU City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia welcomed the dismissal of six administrative complaints filed against him.

He said the Ombudsman’s rulings affirmed the legitimacy of his leadership and cleared lingering doubts over his assumption as mayor.

"From the very beginning, I said that this is no longer an issue regarding the validity of my mayoralty. This is a decision of the Ombudsman and the DILG. This is just gravy on top of what happened before," Garcia said in a press conference on Monday, April 7.

He said the recent decision of the Office of the Ombudsman to junk the latest complaint was a “welcome development” that validated his actions as the city’s chief executive.

“It’s one thing to file a case, and it’s another to prove that it has substance. From the beginning, I was confident these cases would not stand because they lacked merit. The Ombudsman has now ruled — that’s six cases dismissed already,” he said.

The most recent complaint was filed against Garcia and City Legal Officer Santiago Ortiz Jr. in relation to Ortiz’s appointment on August 28, 2024, during the suspension of former Mayor Michael Rama.

The complaint alleged that Garcia unlawfully appointed Ortiz and that Ortiz had facilitated questionable transactions by issuing favorable legal opinions.

In a letter dated March 7, 2025, the Ombudsman ruled that the complaint, filed by Mark Lester Ceballos, Kristian Hassamal, and Vicente Esmeña, was without merit.

The Ombudsman’s Evaluator’s Report cited Section 46 of the Local Government Code, which allows an acting local chief executive to make appointments if the period of temporary incapacity of the incumbent exceeds 30 working days.

Garcia had been serving as acting mayor since May 2024 and officially assumed the post on October 9, 2024, following Rama’s dismissal for nepotism and grave misconduct.

The Ombudsman further stated that the complainants failed to provide sufficient documentation to support allegations that Ortiz engaged in questionable transactions.

Based on these findings, the Office of the Ombudsman, through Acting Director Corazon Arnado-Carrillo of its Complaint and Referral Evaluation, Monitoring and Enforcement Bureau, recommended the outright dismissal of the complaint.

The recent ruling is the sixth time the Ombudsman has dismissed a complaint filed against Garcia, many of which sought to challenge the legitimacy of his assumption as mayor following Rama’s ouster.

Among the previously dismissed cases was a complaint from former City Hall employees Vicente Esmeña and Teofilo Rosaroso Jr., who alleged they were illegally removed from their posts. The Ombudsman ruled that their claims lacked “palpable merit.”

Another case filed by former Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) head Homer Cabaral was also dismissed, along with an anonymous complaint raising similar allegations.

Earlier, Garcia urged his critics to respect the Ombudsman’s rulings and focus on moving the city forward.

“I urge everyone to move past these politically motivated complaints. Let’s shift our focus to delivering efficient, accountable, and transparent public service for the people of Cebu City,” he said.

The Office of the Ombudsman previously acknowledged that as much as 90 percent of the cases it handles involve politically motivated complaints, especially those filed during election periods or transitions in power.(TGP)