Bry. chiefs to City: Where are our issued vehicles?

After the dismissal of their case before the anti-graft office, some Cebu City village chiefs are asking the City Government about their vehicles.

The barangay leaders also announced their plan to file counter charges against Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña.

“Go, they can proceed whatever they want,” Osmeña said when SunStar Cebu sought for her comment.

Osmeña pointed out that the barangays don’t own the vehicles.

Association of Barangay Councils President and Tisa Barangay Captain Phillip Zafra said that after their vehicles were recalled, the City, under the administration of Mayor Tomas Osmeña, did not return the vehicles to them.

“My question is, where are those vehicles now?” he said.

Apas Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman said his barangay no longer recovered the two vehicles that were turned over to the City last year.

During the recall of vehicles, Ayuman said Apas turned over a Mitsubishi L300 van that was used as emergency vehicle of the Apas Emergency Rescue Team and his service vehicle, which was also used for emergency purposes.

The same situation also happened in Barangay Tinago, said Councilor Joel Garganera.

Garganera, who served as chief of Tinago last year before he was elected as a councilor of Cebu City, said two of the barangay vehicles were also not returned.

Garganera said the barangay used the vehicles in many purposes, such as to respond to emergency cases, as a patrol car as well as to transport them during court hearings.

Earlier, the Office of Ombudsman dismissed several cases that were filed against 47 barangay captains of Cebu City, including Zafra, Ayuman and Garganera over their failure to promptly return the government-issued vehicles.

The anti-graft office did not found probable cause and substantial evidence to pursue with the case that Osmeña filed when she was the acting mayor of the city last year. /