Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia | CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia announced the suspension of government-allocated fuels to all Cebu City government offices starting June 18.
This follows allegations of corruption within the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO), where several senior officials have been accused of misappropriating government-allocated fuels for personal use.
In a press conference on Tuesday, June 18, Garcia stated that he had ordered the suspension of fuel allocations to all government vehicles, including those in barangays.
However, Garcia clarified that there will be exemptions for emergency-use vehicles such as ambulances, garbage trucks, fire trucks, and police patrol cars.
He added that departments requiring fuel allocations must submit a letter of explanation to justify their need.
“Parehas sa kanang exemption sa biometrics, they will always have to write us a letter of explanation to defend kung ngano kinahanglan gyud hatagan silag fuel allocation,” he said.
The acting mayor revealed that the suspension does not have a definitive timeline and will depend on the submission of letters of explanation from the respective offices.
“Depende nana sa office. So kung ang office musuwat nako og suwat nga kaning sakyanana, nga van importante kaayo ni kay mao ni tigkuha sa mga whatever then once we give the exemption, balik ang iyahang fuel allocation,” Garcia said.
Regarding the investigation into the allegations, Garcia stated that the first step would be to obtain statements from all nine employees who made the accusations.
He further noted that since the issue involves other employees, the Human Resources and City Legal Department will lead the investigation.
Earlier, Councilor Jun Alcover called for an investigation into the CCDRRMO after receiving multiple complaints from current and former employees.
Alcover stated that he received nine affidavits alleging that several senior officials siphoned fuel from government vehicles for personal use.
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