Rama at Marikina Sports Center Michael Lopez Rama (born October 28, 1954) is a Filipino politician who served as

Mayor of Cebu City The ''Mayor of Cebu City'' () is the chief executive of the government of Cebu City in the Philippines. The mayor leads the city's departments in executing ordinances and delivering public services. The mayorship is a three-year term and each ma ...

from 2021 to October 3, 2024 and previously from 2010 to 2016. He served as the Vice Mayor of

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...

from 2001 to 2010 and from 2019 to 2021, and was a member of the

Cebu City Council The Cebu City Council (Filipino language, Filipino: Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Cebu) is the legislature of Cebu City, Philippines. The legislative body is composed of 18 councilors, with 16 councilors elected from Cebu City's two Legislative dis ...

from 1992 to 2001. He was elected the National President of the League of Cities of the Philippines in 2022. In October 2024, the

Office of the Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

perpetually disqualified him from public service due to charges of nepotism.https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/598411/michael-rama-permanently-banned-from-public-office-due-to-nepotism

Education

Mike Rama graduated as class

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...

in Basak Elementary School in Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City. He attended the University of Southern Philippines and earned a pre-med degree from

Velez College Velez College is a private educational institution in Cebu City, Cebu, widely known for offering Allied health professions, allied health degrees. It was founded by Dr. Jacinto Velez Sr. in 1952, who was then chairman of the board of trustees of ...

. He went on for further graduate studies in

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

San Beda College San Beda University () is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Saint Benedict in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. It was founded by the Benedictines in 1901. The main campus is situated ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. Rama passed the bar exam in 1983.

Political career

Rama started his political career as councilor of

for three successive terms from 1992 to 2001, filling in the slot of his uncle, Clemente "Cle" Rama, a veteran councilor, and leading the Committee on Education. In his third term, as the councilor who was the recipient of the most votes in the election, Rama became the first councilor that made him often assume the role as acting vice mayor and even as acting mayor. Also during his third term, he served as national president of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL). Thereafter, Rama served three consecutive terms as

vice mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments. Duties and functions Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...

from 2001 to 2010 with

Tomas Osmeña Tomas "Tommy" de la Rama Osmeña (; born July 26, 1948) is a Filipino politician who was recently elected as the Vice Mayor of Cebu City in 2025 elections. He previously served as Mayor from 1987 to 1995, 2001 to 2010, and 2016 to 2019. He als ...

as mayor, and was elected the national president of the Vice Mayors League of the Philippines (VMLP). Rama ran and won for the city mayorship in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, and was proclaimed as the twenty-seventh

mayor of Cebu City The ''Mayor of Cebu City'' () is the chief executive of the government of Cebu City in the Philippines. The mayor leads the city's departments in executing ordinances and delivering public services. The mayorship is a three-year term and each ma ...

, defeating former mayor Alvin Garcia. Rama was re-elected as mayor for a second term in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, defeating his former ally and mayor Tomas Osmeña. A December 2014 essay by SunStar Cebu focused on the rivalry between Michael Rama and

in Cebu politics. Osmeña criticized Rama for assuming roles beyond a mayor's duties, like a fire-fighter and police officer. However, the essay also highlighted Osmeña's similar strategic image-building, projecting himself as a powerful political figure. The article emphasized that despite Osmeña's critique of Rama's multiple personas, both politicians crafted specific images to appeal to voters. In a July 2015 Facebook post, former Cebu City Mayor

criticized his erstwhile ally and political rival, Mayor Michael Rama, accusing Rama of mismanaging government funds and selling off valuable

South Road Properties The South Road Properties (SRP), also known as the South Reclamation Project, is a land reclamation, reclamation area in Cebu City, Philippines. The area, which is reclaimed from Mactan Channel, is located off the coast of the Cebu City's 2nd ...

(SRP) lots, a project Osmeña initially conceptualized. Osmeña highlighted concerns about the depletion of City Hall funds under Rama's tenure, contrasting it with the substantial amount he purportedly left behind upon stepping down. In December 2015, Malacañang ordered a 60-day preventive suspension on Rama for his alleged culpable violation of

the Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

, grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and oppression. The suspension was in response to an administrative complaint filed by Barangay Labangon Chairperson Victor M. Buendia, alleging that Mayor Rama had unlawfully ordered the destruction of a center island and street lighting project funded and undertaken by the said Barangay without due process. The Office of the President determined that such actions were not justified as street lights and center islands are not nuisances, and their removal should have followed appropriate legal procedures. Rama reported back to his office on February 8, 2016, as the 60-day suspension imposed on him by the

Office of the President of the Philippines The Office of the President of the Philippines (OP; ) is an administrative, advisory, and consultative government agency that aids the president of the Philippines in performing their duty as head of state and chief of the executive branch of g ...

had ended. Rama ran for a third and final consecutive term in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, but was defeated by Osmeña by a margin of 33,894 votes. In August 2016, President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

has mentioned former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama as one of the country's alleged drug protectors, along with other individuals, during an event. In response, Rama expressed his sadness over the accusation and stated his willingness to cooperate with authorities to clear his name. He emphasized his support for Duterte's anti-drug campaign and his family's commitment to being law-abiding citizens. Rama hoped for justice and truth to prevail. Rama’s name was later removed from the list in 2019. Rama believed that the President was fed misinformation against him, leading to his inclusion on the initial "narcolist". In

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

, Rama returned to his former post as vice mayor of Cebu City, together with ally

Edgardo Labella Edgardo Colina Labella (; May 22, 1951 – November 19, 2021) was a Filipino politician and lawyer who served as the mayor of Cebu City from 2019 until his death in 2021. Prior to becoming mayor, he was the city's vice mayor from 2013 to 2019 ...

as mayor, defeating the incumbent Osmeña. Rama once again took oath as mayor on November 20, 2021, following the death of Labella the day before. Rama retained his post as city mayor in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, defeating city councilors

Margot Osmeña Margarita "Margot" Lim Vargas Osmeña (born July 25, 1949) is a Filipino politician who served as a member of the Cebu City Council from 2010 to 2019. She is married to former mayor of Cebu City Tomas Osmeña. A member of the Vargas clan of P ...

and Dave Tumulak. In August 2022, Mayor Michael Rama had repeatedly expressed his vision of making Cebu City "Singapore-like" since taking office, inspired by a recent visit to Singapore. He emphasized the need for transformation and resilience, calling on various sectors, including the information technology and business process outsourcing sector, to work together for the city's development. However, there is a lack of specific goals and a clear roadmap for achieving this vision, leading to questions about what it means to be "

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

-like" and the need for Cebu City to define its objectives more precisely. Critics argue that the city should set clear, measurable targets to determine if it achieves its goal of becoming "Singapore-like."

Legal issues

Cebu Port Authority Port of Cebu () is a seaport located in Cebu City, Philippines. It serves the Metro Cebu Area and is managed by the Cebu Port Authority. It is the largest domestic port in the Philippines, mostly serving routes in the Visayas and Mindanao. Lo ...

filed administrative

complaint In legal terminology, a complaint is any formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties (the plaintiff(s)) believes are sufficient to support a claim against the party ...

s with the

against Rama. The action was anchored on “impermissible encroachment” on April 1, 2024, “deliberate and flagrant disregard” of its authority, and “obstinate disobedience and resistance” to an

injunction An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a special court order compelling a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. It was developed by the English courts of equity but its origins go back to Roman law and the equitable rem ...

from Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 10. Metropolitan Cebu Water District's Chairman Jose Daluz III and General Manager Edgar Donoso, filed the complaints against Rama with the Office of the President through the

DILG The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public safety and strengthening local government capability aimed towards t ...

on April 29, 2024. City Administrator Collin Rosell, City Budget Officer Jerone Castillo, City Legal Officer Carlo Vincent Gimena, City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office head Harold Alcontin and City Transportation Office head Raquel Arce were also charged before the

Ombudsman of the Philippines In the Philippines, the Office of the Ombudsman () is the constitutional body responsible for investigating and prosecuting Philippine government officials accused of crimes, especially graft and corruption. Functions Under the Constitution ...

for alleged “illegal entry” of the Cebu City personnel into the MCWD office. On May 7, 2024, Ombudsman

Samuel Martires Samuel Reyes Martires (; born January 2, 1949) is a Filipino lawyer serving as the Ombudsman of the Philippines since 2018, appointed to the post by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. He was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 2017 to ...

directed a 6-month preventive suspension of Rama and seven other City officials. The case originated from alleged non-payment of salaries of four City Assessor's Office employees since July 2023. On May 17, the

Court of Appeals of the Philippines The Court of Appeals (; previously ''Hukuman ng Paghahabol'') is an appellate collegiate court in the Philippines. The Court of Appeals consists of one presiding justice and sixty-eight associate justices. Pursuant to the Constitution, the Co ...

dismissed Rama's

certiorari In law, ''certiorari'' is a court process to seek judicial review of a decision of a lower court or government agency. ''Certiorari'' comes from the name of a prerogative writ in England, issued by a superior court to direct that the recor ...

for failure to file the required

motion for reconsideration In parliamentary procedure, reconsideration of a motion (or reconsideration of a question) may be done on a matter previously decided. The motion to "reconsider" is used for this purpose. This motion originated in the United States and is generally ...

. On August 20, the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

ordered the Ombudsman and DILG to answer Rama's

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...

against his suspension. On October 3, 2024, Rama filed his candidacy to run for mayor in

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

. However, an order from the Ombudsman was released later in the day, in which Rama was perpetually disqualified from holding public office for nepotism in a case involving the hiring of two of his brothers-in-law as city employees. On October 22, the Supreme Court issued a temporary

restraining order A restraining order or protective order is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation often involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and perso ...

against the

Commission on Elections An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

's Resolution which disqualified Rama from running in the 2025 polls.

Personal life

Rama is a member of the Rama family, a prominent

political family A political family (also referred to as political dynasty) is a family in which multiple members are involved in politics — particularly Election, electoral politics. Members may be related by consanguinity, blood or marriage; often several gene ...

from Cebu City. He is the son of Fernando Rama, a former Cebu City councilor, and brother of Eduardo L. Rama, the former congressman and governor of

Agusan del Norte Agusan del Norte, officially the Province of Agusan del Norte (; Butuanon: ''Probinsya hong Agusan del Norte''; ), is a province in the Caraga region of the Philippines. Its ''de jure'' capital is the city of Cabadbaran with several government o ...

. His nephew is Cebu City Congressman Edu Rama Jr., son of his late brother governor Eduardo Rama Sr. He has a daughter named Micheline F. Rama and son named Mikel F. Rama. Other relatives include: His grandfather is Don Vicente Rama, senator, Cebu City 1st inaugural mayor, 1st national assemblyman, congressman, councilor and "The Father of Cebu City". He is the nephew of Osmundo G. Rama, Governor of Cebu Province and Commissioner

Napoleon G. Rama Napoleon "Nap" Genson Rama, Philippine Legion of Honor, PLH (July 27, 1923 – January 10, 2016) was a Filipinos, Filipino lawyer, journalist, and writer in English language, English and Spanish language, Spanish from Cebu, Philippines. He was th ...

, the 1986 Constitutional Commission floor leader and Philippine Legion of Honor (Grand Commander) 26 February 2011 awardee. Capt. George Rama is his first cousin, the Barangay Captain of Basak San Nicolas of Cebu City and in addition his first cousin is talent manager, celebrity businesswoman

Annabelle Rama Annabelle Rama de Gutiérrez (born October 31, 1952), commonly known as Annabelle Rama, is a Filipino actress and talent manager with Spanish and Chinese descent. She is a native of Cebu and the wife of the 1960s Philippine cinema matinee idol ...

, the mother of Ruffa,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

, and

Raymond Gutierrez Raymond Kristoffer Rama Gutierrez (born January 21, 1984), known professionally as Raymond Gutierrez, is a Filipino actor. He is best known for hosting '' Pinoy Idol'' in 2008. He was also one of the hosts of '' Showbiz Police''. Early life Ray ...

. Rama was previously married to lawyer Araceli Lim Francisco until their marriage was annulled in 2000. In 2021, he married Malou Jimenez Mandanat, a former employee of Cebu City Hall, in a civil ceremony. He has two children with Francisco and one with Mandanat.

References

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rama, Mike 1954 births Living people Visayan people Mayors of Cebu City Cebuano people 20th-century Filipino lawyers Filipino city and municipal councilors Dutertism Bando Osmeña – Pundok Kauswagan politicians Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Partido Demokratiko Pilipino politicians United Nationalist Alliance politicians San Beda University alumni Vice mayors of Cebu City Cebu City Council members Lakas–CMD (1991) politicians Probinsya Muna Development Initiative politicians