TENSIONS surged at Cebu City Hall on Friday morning, November 8, 2024, as supporters of dismissed Mayor Michael Rama rallied for his reinstatement. The conflict intensified when suspended officials entered City Hall premises without authorization and held a press conference.
Around 9 a.m., approximately 50 Rama supporters, many of them vendors, gathered at Senior Citizens Park, across from the Cebu City Executive Building, carrying placards and banners reading “Fake Mayor” – aimed at sitting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia – and “Ibalik si Mayor Rama” (“Bring Back Mayor Rama”).
By 10 a.m., Rama’s legal team, comprising attorneys Ernesto Rama, Collin Rosell, and Homer Cabaral, conducted a press conference in the mayor’s conference room, despite Rama’s official dismissal. The lawyers argued that his suspension, initially imposed in May, was set to end on November 11, and claimed Garcia’s assumption of office was invalid, citing that they had not received an official copy of the Ombudsman’s dismissal order.
The legal team also announced plans to file corruption charges against Garcia, City Administrator Kristine Batucan, and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Director Leocadio Trovela.
Tensions escalated further when suspended City Administrator Collin Rosell attempted to access his office but was denied entry. Supporters demanded that the office be opened, leading to a heated standoff as both sides held firm in their positions.