Archbishop Palma’s statement: Encouraging but we need action 3 Feb 5:13 AM (2 months ago)
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said the problem on sexual abuse by the clergy needs a “new paradigm.” Palma issued the statement in reaction to the publication by a US watchdog of a list of 82 priests and brothers publicly accused of the sexual abuse of minors. Of the 82, 10 have links to Cebu.
Palma said the “sexual abuse of priests involving minors deeply wounds the very fabric of our faith life and community and cause irreparable damage to the lives of the victims.” He then said that the problem needs a new paradigm and that the whole church should be involved and not just the parties of a case.
These are encouraging words if not for the context – Archbishop Palma is set to retire in March. He has reportedly sent his notice to the Vatican that he will be turning 75 in March, the mandatory age of retirement of bishops.
What meaningful action can be done from now till then? None, several people told me. Archbishop Palma is already looking forward to his retirement, one Church official said. In our most recent interview, Archbishop Palma said he would send Dicastery of Bishops Prefect Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost one week before the date a reminder that he would be turning 75 on March 19.
So that statement is probably all that we’ve got.
I requested a press conference or even just an arranged interview but I was told that the statement is “sufficient for now.” I was also asked to reflectively read it, thus this reflection.
1) I thought the statement too detached, too theological. But I understood the context when somebody told me that it was obviously written with the Vatican in mind, not the victims.
2) I agree with retired Cebu Daily News editor-in-chief Eileen Mangubat that it was vague on many parts. We can’t even agree on the number of priests with ties to Cebu. Who are the three that Palma described as in active ministry? Does it include the “unnamed priest 2” who is reported to be still in active ministry by the reporter whose story formed the basis of this specific listing?
3) I also agree with lawyer Michal Gatchalian, himself an abuse victim, that it was too long a statement without apologizing to the victims. It took the horrific abuses of minors as a subject of a theological exposition. You couldn’t say sorry?
4.) The archdiocese knew of two other cases that resulted in a conviction of the priests and a plea bargain to a lesser offense for a more lenient sentence and it did not include it on the statement. Knowing that the archdiocese knew about these cases makes the apology less sincere. You couldn’t acknowledge them?
5) What is the status of the late Monsignor Cris Garcia? Was he really laicized in 2017 as indicated on the database?
6) Palma rightly points out that the Archdiocese is “among the first in the Philippines to formally set up a Safeguarding Ministry office as mandated by Vos Estis Lux Mundi in 2019.” He offers no other details about the ministry. It would have been better if he talked more about what the archdiocese did to meet the mandates of Vos Estis Lux Mundi.
7) How do we operationalize the “new paradigm?” What changes will it bring into existing structures and procedures? Will the Archdiocese be much more open to the media? Will it schedule more press conference and arranged interviews not just with the archbishop but with other church officials?
What was needed were 3 As – apology, acknowledgement, and assurance. There was no apology. Acknowledgement wasn’t full. And somehow I don’t get that assurance that if anything happens to a minor again, the full force of the archdiocese would be harnessed to protect the victim and hold the perpetrator accountable.
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Cebu BPO linked to P2.5 billion scam victimizing elderly authors in US; 3 arrested 19 Jan 1:41 AM (2 months ago)
TWO executives of a Cebu-based business process outsourcing (BPO) company have been arrested along with a United States-based officer for allegations of defrauding elderly authors in the US of almost $44 million or more than P2.5 billion.
The information was posted in a press release published by the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of California on its website last January 15, 2025.
Michael Cris Traya Sordilla and Bryan Navales Tarosa were arrested in San Diego, California last December 9, 2024. Sordilla is the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Innocentrix Philippines. Tarosa is the Vice President of Operations, according to the indictment papers. The two are in a relationship.
Gemma Traya Austin, who was identified by the press release as the organizer and listed agent of PageTurner, Press and Media LLC, was arrested in Chula Vista, California last December 12, 2024.
All three are listed as “in custody.”
The charges against the three include conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, which carries maximum penalties of 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, which carries maximum penalties of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the amount laundered, according to the press release.
The three are accused of approaching authors and telling them that studios were interested in turning their works into movies or TV series, but only if they pay PageTurner first.
“The indictment alleges that between September 2017 and December 2024, the defendants used PageTurner to operate a book publishing scam in which the conspirators working for Innocentrix Philippines contacted individual authors through unsolicited calls and emails,” the press release said.
“As part of the scam, the conspirators falsely represented that PageTurner was a book publishing business that worked with literary agents, major motion picture studios, and popular video streaming services, and that PageTurner acted as a liaison between individuals who sought to publish their books or have their books turned into motion pictures or television series.”
“As part of the conspiracy, the scammers falsely told victims their works had been selected for acquisition by publishers or movie studios, and fraudulently convinced victims to send PageTurner payments for various services, including pre-payment of taxes and transaction fees, before the victim-author’s work could be published or optioned to studios,” the statement by the US Attorney’s Office said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “identified more than 800 victims of the scheme who collectively lost more than $44 million.”
“What started with the promise of a Hollywood dream turned into a devastating nightmare for victims,” US Attorney Tara McGrath said in the statement.
The case is being investigated by both the FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
I sent an email to the listed address on the Innocentrix Philippines website but did not get a response as of the writing of this story. A call to the listed phone number was answered by someone who identified himself as tech support working from home on their pageant vote tabulation software.
Sordilla is prominent in the beauty pageant industry as a judge and the chairman of Hiyas ng Pilipinas pageant. Among the businesses that he listed in his Facebook posts and on his page at the Innocentrix Philippines website are MCS Group of Companies, MSordilla Builders, MCS Studio, and Serene Oasis Resort in Oslob, southern Cebu.
(Are you part of Innocentrix Philippines? Do you have information about the case? Please drop me an email. I can keep you anonymous if you want to contact me but are not comfortable sharing your identity with the public. You can send an email to max@limpag.com or contact me via Signal)
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Gov Gwen to announce case against NMP; DOT offers help in return of stolen panels to Boljoon 12 Jan 4:49 AM (3 months ago)
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia will announce legal action against the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) over four pulpit panels stolen from the heritage church of Boljoon in southern Cebu. Garcia will hold a press conference to make the announcement Monday noon. It will be streamed live over the Sugbo News Facebook page, in case you want to watch.
Garcia said this case will trigger action to also recover the other items reported stolen from both the Boljoon and Dalaguete churches that were then auctioned off by a gallery in Manila.
I’m not sure if officials of the NMP will be watching but a source told me members of the NMP Board of Trustees will also be meeting on Monday.
I submitted a “proper” news article and it’s still being processed. This is a blog post on the matter and contains personal observations.
Tourism Secretary Ma. Esperanza Christina Garcia-Frasco wrote NMP BOT Chair Andoni Aboitiz last January 8, 2025 to offer “any assistance necessary” to facilitate the return of the four pulpit panels to Boljoon. Frasco is Garcia’s daughter and was mayor of Liloan in Cebu before she was named to lead the Department of Tourism.
In her letter to Aboitiz, Frasco reiterated “my support for the requests of the Archdiocese of Cebu, the Provincial Government of Cebu, and the Municipality of Boljoon, for the immediate return of the religious panels to the Boljoon Church.”
Frasco, being the DOT Secretary, is a member of the NMP BOT. She also asked Aboitiz for “more detailed information regarding the timeline for the restoration process, including the intended date for the National Museum of the Philippines to return the panels to the Boljoon Church.”
I asked NMP Director General Jeremy Barns for a comment but he did not reply. Barns has been unresponsive to messages ever since I asked him about his meeting with Archbishop Palma in May 2024. His answer then was that he would let me know “at the right time.” In fairness to him, he did grant me close to an hour of interview, the full transcript of which you can find here.
But as courtesy and in the interest of fairness, I make it a point to always ask for his side, even knowing that he would continue to ignore my messages.
“Hambugero kaayo,” (he’s so arrogant), Gov. Garcia said of Barns in one interview.
But I know that he has read my messages.
He also ignored Garcia. Both Aboitiz and NCCA Chair Ino Manolo met with the governor on separate occasions, but not Barns.
I fared no better with Keith Reburiano of their Communications and External Affairs Section. I sent him an email asking about updates on the panels last November 27, 2024. I followed it up a week later and on December 9, 2024, I got an acknowledgement of the email and an excuse that they get a lot of messages. Since then, I got nothing. As of the publication of this blog post, this lowly freelance journalist from the province still has not received a response from Keith.
“Hawod kaayong mga tawhana (They feel superior),” Garcia told me in an interview.
I also encountered the same stonewalling at the Archdiocese of Cebu. Father Dan delos Angeles, one of the lawyers of the archdiocese and ironically a former journalist, also refuses requests for interviews (even on background) and information. I asked for help to understand the legal issues from the point of view of the archdiocese, still nothing. I wasn’t even gonna name him, I just wanted help to understand the issues. Nothing.
What’s worse is that when you ask Archbishop Jose Palma and the other officials, they always say the information is with Father delos Angeles and to ask him. I don’t know if the archdiocesan officials know about Father delos Angeles’ stonewalling and just want to frustrate journalists like me by continuing to ask me to get the information from him, knowing it would be a dead end. I think that’s it. They want to frustrate me to encourage me to pray. Ginoo, tabangi tawon ko aning Father Dan.
The least the archdiocese could have done was to get information that could be shared with the media from Father Dan so that if reporters asked for an update, they could share what could be shared with the public. Instead, I get referred to who is essentially for those seeking information, a walking statue.
Delos Angeles was one of the representatives of Archbishop Palma in Saturday’s meeting with Garcia. The others were Father Brian Brigoli, chair of the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church; Monsignor Renato Beltran, the chancellor; and Monsignor Rogelop Fuentes, the vicar general.
Garcia had invited Palma to the meeting but I was told there was a scheduling conflict that’s why the prelate couldn’t be there. I think the issue is uniquely important for Palma because of two things: he is retiring in March and so this is an unfinished business, a hanging legacy, and he is a member of the Vatican Dicastery of Culture and Education.
I saw a staff member of the governor talking to Father Dan as I was leaving the room and she told me, “you can interview Father Dan.” I think they’re friends, being former colleagues. I answered her and told Father Dan to his face, “di man na magpa-interview.”
It’s nothing personal, I don’t know Father Dan from Jesus. The only thing I know is that he once was a reporter. He knows it’s my job to ask questions so it makes one wonder at his behavior. He once told a mutual friend whom I asked to serve as intercessor for my requests for an interview that he wanted to just be in the background, out of the limelight. Char. Be a hermit for all I care but the things that you do for the archdiocese have public interest and could be or even should be reported on. Pari ni siya Ginoo?
If the NMP people and Father Dan think stonewalling would get me off a story, then they have another think coming. My longest follow up question took me four years and a trip to a remote monastery in the mountains in the south of Cebu to ask.
Father Brigoli, on the other hand, is so much more helpful. He will answer questions when he can and would tell me if he doesn’t have the information.
I entered the meeting room on Saturday afternoon and asked the governor’s staff whether the meeting was closed-door. Gov Gwen said she was okay if I stayed in the room but then she asked the priests whether they were okay with it. They (or one of them) requested that I be let out of the room. The Sugbo News crew remained inside the room so I couldn’t understand why the priests wanted me out.
I waited outside the room and used the 5x zoom of the iPhone 16 to read what was projected on the screen during the meeting. It’s a pretty nifty feature. There wasn’t really a need to do it because I got a copy of the document, Frasco’s letter, after the meeting.
I was able to talk to Gov. Gwen after the meeting. Most of what she said I had already reported on earlier. But she said she will share more details during the press conference.
A source recently told me the restoration of the panels was scheduled to be completed this January. Two sources expressed concern at the restoration. I asked one why the NMP chose restoration rather than conservation and I was told that the NMP thinks they own the panels and could do with it what they think is best for it.
Meanwhile, several contacts from Boljoon have expressed disappointment at the delay. They had hoped it would be returned at least in time for last year’s fiesta.
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TurboScribe vastly improves Bisaya transcription 13 Dec 2024 5:12 PM (4 months ago)
I used TurboScribe.ai to automatically transcribe the press conference held by Cebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma Tuesday and was surprised at the high degree of accuracy in its Bisaya transcription.
In several minutes when Archdiocesan media liaison officer Monsignor Joseph Tan spoke in Cebuano, TurboScribe was about 97 percent accurate. That was more than good enough as a basis for writing the story.
It’s not perfect as there are smattering of errors throughout the transcription of the close to two hours of Facebook Live video such as “Moshe Marnell” for “Monsignor Marnell” but it was highly accurate and it saved me a lot of time writing the story. (My story will be out soon, it’s still being processed).
The transcription I got was a marked improvement in its accuracy and utility because TurboScribe did not try to automatically translate the Bisaya quotes. I don’t know if anything or what changed but it used to do that and I find it annoying and unusable.
TurboScribe uses OpenAI’s Whisper API in its transcription. There are various ways of using Whisper API and TurboScribe is the simplest and most straightforward. It is among the few services I actually pay for because I find it very useful in my work.
TurboScribe offers three free transcriptions of up to 30 minutes each every day. The free allotment renews at midnight and a young journalist told me she uses it regularly and would look forward to the 3 free slots opening up.
I pay for a premium account and get unlimited transcriptions daily of up to 10 hours each, imagine that.
The other workflow I use that taps Whisper API is this Voice Notes to Notion jerry-rigged setup that requires you to stitch various online services together. The advantage with this setup is it does not just provide a full transcription but also a summary, key points, and action items.
I would interview people and by the time I am in the car, not only do I have the transcription but a summary of the key points that I can compare to with my handwritten notes.
The setup works on mostly free services but you need to pay for OpenAI API use – which is so much cheaper than TurboScribe. But sometimes it gets wonky so I rely more on TurboScribe. Curiously, its transcription of the same segment in the presscon that TurboScribe got almost totally right contained more errors that indicated the system tried to translate it into Filipino.
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Changes in COA annual audit publication helpful to journalists 11 Dec 2024 7:47 AM (4 months ago)
From mid-year releases, the annual audit report (AAR) of government agencies are now uploaded to the Commission on Audit (COA) website from December 1 to 15. They now also come with an update on what the audited agency has done to address findings.
The changes are contained in a COA memorandum issued in July, COA 7 Director Visitacion Mendoza said in an official statement as a response to an email inquiry I sent after I noticed that there were no new reports being uploaded to the COA website in the middle of this year.
In the past, AARs started being uploaded by June with all LGU reports completed by July.
Beginning 2024, however, “the period of publication of the AAR, Agency Action Plan and Status of Implementation (AAPSI) and Action Plan Monitoring Tool (APMT) in the COA Website is from December 1 to 15,” Visitacion said in her letter.
I initially felt that this was just window-dressing for next year’s elections. It gave government agencies more time to act on the findings and present updates on what they are doing to address audit observations at the same time as the AAR publication.
But the new setup is actually better for reporting. The AAPSI and APMT highlight actions done by the agency to address COA findings.
Of course, the AAR already contains management responses during the exit conference but these aren’t as updated as what are in the AAPSI and APMT. The trackers are also so much easier to follow and check.
The agency updates and tracker are contained in a separate folder from the AAR.
Here are some of my previous stories based on COA reports:
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We have to correct the error in Dalaguete’s patronage, church officials say 8 Dec 2024 6:45 AM (4 months ago)
The mix-up in the identity of the patron saint of Dalaguete should be corrected, its parish priest Father Prudencio Elbao told me on Saturday.
The church is officially the parish of San Guillermo de Acquitania. But priests I interviewed for my Rappler story said the identity of this San Guillermo is a conflation of three Guillermos or Williams. The actual patron saint of Dalaguete, they said, should be San Guillermo de Maleval, the saint associated with the Augustinians, which erected the parish in 1711.
I wrote a story about the mix-up for Rappler:
“I correct gyud because we want the truth,” said Father Elbao. If the Archdiocese can issue a decree clarifying the identity of Dalaguete’s San Guillermo, this can then be widely disseminated to the town’s parishioners, he said.
A correction is needed to stop the wrong information from being passed on to the next generation, said Monsignor Juan Jose Dosado Jr., episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu District III where Dalaguete belongs
“It is our responsibility to correct the error,” Monsignor Dosado said.
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Sheraton Mactan does seafood right 24 Nov 2024 4:25 AM (4 months ago)
The Christmas tree lighting at the lobby of Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort last Saturday evening reminded me why I love dining there. After the ceremonies, we had buffet dinner at 5 Cien and I gravitated, as is my wont, to the seafood station.
The star for me was the tuna sashimi. Its freshness made it quite a treat and another plate would have been over-indulgence. The station also offered salmon sashimi and various types of sushi.
A centerpiece was the spread of crabs, shells, and shrimp.
No Cebu feast is complete without a lechon or whole roasted pig and 5 Cien offered a crunchy and tasty selection. Of the resort-based restos in Cebu, 5 Cien and the nearby Dip Nikkei should be on top of your Cebu list.
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Cases vs. operators of former Cebu City Government PIO page Cebu Updates dismissed 17 Nov 2024 8:57 PM (5 months ago)
The cases against two men linked to the takeover of what used to be an official Cebu City Government Facebook page have been dismissed for lack of evidence after the complainant withdrew her charge with the change of leadership at City Hall, this writer has learned.
The dismissal underscores the continued lack of regulations on the handling of social media pages of local government units. Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said he will be looking into putting regulations in place for Cebu City Government social media accounts. He said the turnover of social media access credentials will be included as part of the accountability process of employees and officials when they leave City Hall.
Cebu City Hall, under dismissed mayor Michael Rama, pursued the people behind Cebu Updates, which they said used to be the official Facebook page of the Cebu City Public Information Office (PIO). The Facebook page’s transparency information indicated that Cebu Updates was for a long time used as the official page of the Cebu City PIO. It also still carries what used to be official posts of the Cebu City PIO.
The complaints for illegal access and identity theft under the Cybercrime Prevention Act were filed against Erwin dela Cerna and Christian Tura by Estela Grace Rosit on February 5, 2024. Rosit was the head of the Cebu City PIO when she filed the cases. She is currently a staff at the PIO. She told this writer she was misled by lawyer Collin Rosell in filing the case. She said she was told she would just be a witness but was surprised on the way to the filing in court that she was the complainant.
Rosell, in an interview last November 8, 2024 before he was arrested at the Cebu City Hall for usurpation of authority, denied that he misled Rosit.
A check at the sala of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Ramon B. Daomilas Jr. showed that the consolidated cases were dismissed on August 1, 2024 for lack of sufficient evidence after Rosit’s recantation.
Rosell told this writer they would contest the dismissal. When asked about the issue after his press conference on October 31 and before it was confirmed that the cases had already been dismissed, Rama told Rosell to intervene and stop the withdrawal of the cases.
Lawyer Floro Casas, Jr., a former Cebu City Administrator and one of the page admins of Cebu Updates, scoffed at Rosell’s statement saying the dismissal was already final. Casas told this writer that while he supports Garcia and his running mate lawyer Jose “Joey” Daluz, III, he wants Cebu Updates to be an independent media platform for anything that involves Cebu. I interviewed Casas in the office of Garcia, at the sidelines of the latter’s press conference last November 8.
As of November 14, 2024, Cebu Updates had 241,000 likes and 340,000 followers. It has a bigger community than the current official Cebu City PIO page, which has 44,000 likes and 91,000 followers.
Cebu Updates has for several times posted exclusive news updates involving Cebu City Hall under Rama. Last week, it put the Rama Baena Tan and Ang Law Offices (RBTA Law) in the defensive when Cebu Updates raised accusations involving P205 million in donations for the building of the Cebu City Medical Center.
Rosit told the court she lacked authority from the Cebu City Government to file the cases because there was no resolution from the City Council authorizing the filing of the cases.
In the interview with Rappler, Rosit questioned why the burden of recovering a City Hall Facebook page was put on the shoulders of someone like her, who was new to her post at the time of filing. She said the Cebu City Government should have led the efforts to recover the page. She said she decided to withdraw her complaint because she did not want to be the cause of legal problems for dela Cerna and Tura, whom she said she did not know.
Rosit also told the court that her withdrawal of the charge is also in line with the “policy of diplomacy” under the leadership of Garcia.
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We are persecuted because we are telling the truth: Resistance bishop tells faithful in Cebu 16 Nov 2024 1:30 AM (5 months ago)
Pope Francis is “trying to destroy tradition” in his suppression of traditional Catholic practices such as the Latin Mass but his actions will only make it grow stronger, Italian Bishop Giacomo Ballini told this writer in an interview.
Ballini was in Cebu in September for the tonsure ceremony of two seminarians of the Marian Corps of Saint Pius X (MCSPX) and reception of new members of the Order of the Knights of Our Lady last September 21 in Lapu-Lapu City. The next day, he administered the sacrament of confirmation for young members of their faithful in Cebu City.
In his homily during a Traditional Latin Mass after the confirmation, Ballini criticized the statement of Pope Francis during his visit to Singapore that “all religions are a path to God.”
“But this is in open contradiction to the word of God himself, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me, says our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Ballini said in his homily given to a room of about 80 people.
He said the Pope’s statement would mean that religions that worship animals like cows, monkeys, or rats are still paths to God.
“Can you imagine? To hear these words from the Saint Pope of the Catholic Church. The one who, with the power of Saint Peter, should lead us all towards heaven and teach us all the truth of the Church. The beautiful Mass that we assist and perform today is no more nor less than a worship of rats,” he said.
Ballini then contrasted Pope Francis’ acceptance of other religions with his suppression of traditionalist Catholics like them.
“Well, all religions, they say, but with one exception. The traditional Catholic faith is the only religion that does not lead to God. That’s the only exception. It’s a very strange logic. But this is what they seem to believe. Well, if these people are those who condemn us, dear friends, don’t be afraid,” he said.
Traditionalist Catholics often criticize Pope Francis for his suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass. His apostolic letter “Traditionis custodes” limited who can celebrate the Latin mass and restricted the locations to non-parochial churches. In explaining the restrictions, the Vatican had said practices like the Latin Mass have been exploited for ideology.
The MCSPX is part of the so-called Catholic resistance group of traditionalist Catholics. It was formed by priests who were expelled by the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) in 2012 over their opposition to normalization of ties with the Vatican.
The SSPX, on the other hand, was founded by the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a traditionalist Catholic who opposed changes brought by Vatican II. Towards the end of his life, he consecrated four bishops in Écône, Switzerland despite the expressed prohibition from the Vatican. Pope John Paul II said the act was schismatic and meant automatic excommunication for Lefebvre and the four bishops.
The excommunication was lifted by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.
Ballini traces his lineage to two of the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre. He told Rappler that he was ordained a priest of the SSPX in 2011 by Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta also in Écône. Bellini said he was consecrated a bishop in 2021 by Bishop Richard Williamson.
When asked whether the Vatican recognizes the consecration, he said it does.
“I’m sure, I’m a bishop, but they (the Vatican) don’t like it, you know. There would be penalties attached and so on, but they do recognize that I’m a bishop, of course,” he said during an interview after the confirmation and mass.
A check with the Catholic Hierarchy, an unofficial online database of Catholic bishops and dioceses, yields no entry for a Giacomo Ballini. The unofficial site is the top reference for Catholic bishops based on news bulletins from the Vatican and the Annuario Pontificio or pontifical directory.
Ballini said he goes to wherever traditionalist priests ask him to go.
During his homily last September 22, Ballini told the faithful to value and protect traditionalist priests, saying they are a rare kind of clergy.
He condemned the regular priests as being “so much worried about their prices and their menus on the sacraments.”
“How much is a baptism? How much is to be a godparent? How much is confirmation? How much is a wedding? Wedding first class, second class, wedding with or without air conditioning, and so on and so forth,” he said.
He also told the congregation to stay away from Novus Ordo masses, the regular masses being celebrated today.
“Your priests tell you to stay away from the Novus Ordo church because it is poison. It is poison. If you stay in, the longer you stay in, the more Protestant you become. You abandon the Catholic faith,” he said during his homily. “You go in that church as a Catholic, you go out as a Protestant.”
The MCSPX priests in Cebu administer to 40 small groups all over Visayas and Mindanao. They also visit the faithful in Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea.
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A surprise press conference, an announcement, and an arrest: all in a day at Cebu City Hall 11 Nov 2024 7:48 AM (5 months ago)
The press conference by the camp of Michael Rama was scheduled for 10 am Friday at La Fortuna Bakery near the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño. I wanted to interview lawyer Collin Rosell for a separate story that was only tangentially connected with the conflict at city hall.
Atty Rosell will be at the press con, my contact told me by way of inviting me to the event.
When I got to La Fortuna Bakery, it was empty save for two customers who were buying bread. I wanted hopia and a bottle of water but was told they did not accept GCash. I asked the cashier whether the bakery was indeed the venue for a press conference and was told that somebody called them to give instructions to tell the media that the press conference had been transferred to “the Mayor’s office.”
At first I thought she was mistaken. I asked her again. She told me somebody called the store with the new instructions. For a second I thought it was a sneaky move by the camp of Mayor Raymond Garcia to hijack a Rama press con and invite the reporters to City Hall.
I sent my contact with the Rama camp a question on the change of venue. I explained that there was no other info except that the new location was at City Hall.
When I entered the first floor of the new City Hall building where the Mayor’s Office is located, I met GMA 7 reporter Alan Domingo who gave a wry smile and an instruction to proceed to the conference room. He said City Hall was swarming with police officers.
As I approached the conference room, I saw people were a bit jittery. I asked one where the press conference was and she in turn asked me, “who invited you?” I couldn’t say that it was Rama’s group. Even I thought it was incredulous.
But when I entered the mayor’s conference room, I saw Rosell and the other members of the Rama camp, including his chief of staff Glicerio Germudo, Jr., a former schoolmate in South Cotabato.
Texar Dugaduga, who was introduced as head of the Cebu City Public Information Office (PIO), was setting up the Facebook livestream and giving instructions to the staff in the conference room.
Dugaduga was then given the microphone to read a statement by the Rama lawyers. In typical Rama fashion, the statement started with a quotation, this time from Ecclesiastes, about there being a time for everything. The statement was in Bisaya and started with the emphatic announcement that with the lapse of the six-month suspension on Rama, he was now back as Cebu City Mayor.
While Rama was reported to have been dismissed from service and perpetually disqualified from holding public office for nepotism, his lawyers say this ruling and order have never been served. Rosell said they even sent official letters to the Ombudsman Visayas and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 7 to inquire about the existence of the ruling and dismissal order. Rosell said the local offices merely told them their queries will be referred to the central office in Manila.
Copies of the Rama press statement were printed on recycled Cebu City Hall documents and distributed to reporters. They printed these here in City Hall, members of Garcia’s staff later told me.
Rama wasn’t at City Hall in Friday’s tense encounter that included a dare to a fistfight between supporters of the opposing camps. He posted on his Facebook page earlier this week vacation photos with his family in Paris.
One of Rama’s lawyers hinted he would be back for flag raising on Monday. In ceremonies during Rama’s time at City Hall, the “Singapore-like Cebu City with Melbourne features” official jingle is always played. Garcia has since dropped the campaign, angering Rama.
During the press conference, lawyer Homer Cabaral, head of the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) under Rama, announced he would file graft charges against Garcia and DILG 7 Director Leocadio Trovela. Cabaral said it was irregular for Trovela to administer the oath of office of Garcia as mayor to serve the remaining term of Rama.
Cabaral also said he would file charges against human resources officer Henry Tumalabcad and City Administrator Kristine Batucan over his termination as OSCA head.
While the press conference was going on at close to noon, Germudo, who served as presscon emcee, asked reporters to limit their questions because “the acting mayor,” in reference to Garcia, would be using the same room for his own press conference.
Rosell, however, said they would stay as long as they wanted and asked the media to raise more questions so that the press con could continue.
Rosell also announced he has assumed his old post of City Administrator and was prepared to sign documents if any were available. He said all the other officials suspended along with him and Rama are also considered to be back to their posts.
Garcia denied that was the case saying their appointments were not renewed and he has already named people to their posts. Garcia also issued a notice to Rosell that his “coterminous appointment” expired last October 9, 2024.
When the Rama camp press conference ended, the reporters were invited to Garcia’s own press conference in the vice mayor’s office, which he has long occupied even after he served as acting mayor. The office is located in a separate building.
Garcia was accompanied by Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Colonel Antonietto Cañete in his press conference. Garcia said he asked police to maintain maximum tolerance with Rama’s group so long as City Hall operations weren’t affected.
“It is business as usual here in the City of Cebu,” Garcia said. “Kay dili gyud ko ganahan nga ma-disrupt ang operations diri sa Cebu City Hall because we are here to serve the public and the people who put us here.” (I don’t want operations here to be disrupted.)
He asked the Rama camp to bring their grievances to the proper forum, which he said is the courts and the Ombudsman and not City Hall.
Later in the day, Garcia ordered the replacement of the head of the Civil Security Unit (CSU). City Administrator Batucan met with City Hall officials to discuss what happened earlier that day.
Cebu City Legal Officer Santiago Ortiz, Jr. then filed a police blotter report on Rosell’s entry into City Hall and his issuance of a memorandum.
In the evening, Rosell’s detention by police was captured on Facebook Live by newly-designated Cebu City PIO Head Ramil Ayuman. Police officers surrounded him as they put on a handcuff. Rosell was later brought to the Waterfront Police Station.
Rosell later told reporters who interviewed him at the station that he would definitely file a case against police.
Rama and Garcia used to be allies and would profess support for each other in their speeches in public events. Rama described Garcia as a good partner and repeatedly said the latter would run as his vice mayor. Their relationship soured after Rama’s suspension in May. Rama said Garcia was over-eager to take over his post. Last week, Rama repeatedly lambasted Garcia as a “mananapaw,” Bisaya for usurper.
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