Tomas pulls out Apas BMO vehicle
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has pulled out the city-owned vehicle issued to Apas Barangay Mayor's Office after receiving reports that Renato Jardaleza still used it even after his termination.
Osmeña said he received information from a credible source that Jardaleza was seen driving the city-issued vehicle last Tuesday even if his termination took effect Friday last week.
"That means they are ignoring me, okay. Ignore me, I'll ignore you,the same thing right? Politically, I am making a very bad move. I don't care. I am just doing what I think is right," he said.
Jardaleza was kicked out as BMO staff after the mayor learned that the he is illegally soliciting from business owners P100,000 to P1 million to fund BMO's contingent in the Sinulog sa Barangay sa Dakbayan.
He also used the city government and barangay seal in the solicitation letter, which is a violation to the existing laws.
Section 7 (d) of RA 6713 otherwise known as Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Public Officials and Employees provides that public officials and employees shall not solicit or accept, directly or indirectly, any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person in the course of their official duties or in connection with any operation being regulated by, or any transaction which may be affected by the functions of their office.
Osmeña said Jardaleza is putting a "smear" in his administration as well as to the image of BMO.
The vehicle is now issued to the newly designated ApasBMO chairman, first barangay councilman Virgil Cabigon.
Osmeña said it's up to Cabigon whether or not he will terminate all the BMO staff of the barangay.
"I told him to focus on Long Life.That's a very high priority. And Long Life serves everybody, not Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan, anybody who has daily maintenance is covered," he further said.
It was in year 2016 that the present administration implemented the Long Life Medical Assistance Program (LLMAP) which has 800 workers who will deliver free medicines for hypertension, diabetes and arthritis to at least 40,000 beneficiaries.
The FREEMAN tried to get Cabigon's comment but he was not available as of press time.
Apas village chief Ramil Ayuman said it is expected that Cabigon will be appointed by the mayor as new BMO chairman as he is an ally of the present administration.
Ayuman said that after the Sinulog celebration, he will finalize with his legal counsel the charges to be filed against Jardaleza, former BMO chairman Joel Trumpeta and Teresa Versoza, the marketing head of BMO Sinulog Committee, for soliciting money from business establishment in the area.—
Odessa O. Leyson/MBG