A city-owned van was spotted inside a safari zoo in Carmen town last Sunday.
Photos of the vehicle with government license number SKN 781, posted by Apas barangay chief Ramil Ayuman, were posted on Facebook last Sunday, April 15.
In his caption, Ayuman stated that a ‘reliable source’ told him that the van was owned by a Cebu City Councilor, and was in the zoo on Sunday apparently with his family ‘for a tour’.
Records from the Cebu City Department of General Services (DGS), according to its head Ronald Malacora, said the van was assigned to Cebu City Councilor Alvin Arcilla.
In a phone interview with Cebu Daily News, Arcilla confirmed that the van is under his office’s responsibilities. But he denied that his entire family went with him,
“Dako kaayo ang van. Nikuyog akong usa ka anak ug iyang upat ka classmate. Dili tibuuk nako pamilya ang niadto. Unya ang mga bata nibayad man sa entrance sa zoo. Pero ako, official trip to akoa (The van is spacious. So my child and four of his classmates went along. My entire family did not go there. And the kids paid for the entrance fee of the zoo. But I was there on an official trip),” said Arcilla.
Another vehicle, an L300 Mitsubishi van with license number SKZ 910, was also spotted in the zoo on Sunday. Malacora said records showed that the van is assigned to Barangay Cambinocot, Cebu City.