Despite being a suspended mayor, I am still the LCP president – Rama

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama insisted that he remains the President of the League of the Cities of the Philippines (LCP) despite being suspended as mayor for six months. According to Rama, even though he is suspended, he is still the mayor of Cebu City, especially since his term will not end until 2025. Additionally, there are cases filed against him that his camp is questioning.

Rama also opposed the Special National Executive Board Meeting called by Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez scheduled for July 19. Rama’s camp believes that the meeting called through an advisory dated July 17 is just a political maneuver to remove him as the LCP president. They argue that any decision made in that meeting would have no legal effect because it did not follow the proper procedures outlined in the LCP’s Constitution and By-Laws.

Benitez’s call for the meeting with only two days’ notice was seen as a direct violation of the LCP’s Constitution and By-Laws, which require at least a 15-day notice before meetings. The advisory only mentioned that the meeting would focus on “urgent internal matters” without specifying the agenda, which goes against the basic requirement of providing a detailed agenda to inform and prepare attendees.

Rama’s camp also pointed out that the advisory seemed to follow a resolution issued on May 10, 2024, by the Negros Association of Chief Executives, Inc., of which Benitez is also a member. The resolution called for the LCP officers and Board of Directors to temporarily allow Benitez to convene the league because Mayor Rama was allegedly “absent” due to his six-month suspension. However, Rama clarified that he is not absent and is ready to fulfill his duties as the LCP President.

Mayor Rama explained that his preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman is only for an administrative investigation and does not equate to a penalty of removal from office. In May 2024, Mayor Rama and seven other officials were suspended in connection with the alleged non-payment of salaries to some city hall employees.