THE Commission on Elections on Thursday deferred the suspension order issued by the Office of the President against Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and 13 other city officials until after the May 9 elections.
Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the commission decided to honor its resolution that no one may be suspended during an election period.
Malacañang had ordered Rama, Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, and 12 city councilors suspended over the release of P20,000 each to city government officials and employees.
It claimed the officials and employees were not victims of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake and Super Typhoon “Yolanda” that devastated Cebu in 2013, and therefore did not deserve the assistance.
“There is a preference for the status quo since the only exception provided in the law is if it is a violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” Bautista said.
He was referring to their Minute Resolution 16-0222 dated March 29 in which the Comelec acceded to the recommendation of the Comelec Law Department not to act on a request for an exemption to the election ban to suspend an official.
“The Commission resolves to approve with modification the foregoing recommendation of the Law Department to defer actions on requests for authority to suspend local elective officials until after the May 9 national and local elections,” the resolution says.
Comelec Resolution 9981 prohibits the suspension of any elective local official during the election period, which this year runs from Jan. 10 to June 8.
But Bautista said the Comelec would still deliberate on the case of Rama and other Cebu officials after the May 9 elections.
“We decided to honor our existing resolution, so we deferred action on the request until after May 9,” Bautista said.
In Cebu, Rama ordered some of the doors of City Hall closed starting Wednesday, a day after the Office of the President issued its suspension order.
Rama said he wanted to protect the seat of government against his opponents until the elections on May 9. He said his opponents wanted him out of City Hall.
“Our opponents are particularly ferocious, atrocious, vicious, malicious and obsessed. They want to come in and run City Hall,” Rama said.