FORTUNER PATROL CAR: A Mabolo policeman checks the motorcycle registration papers and the driver’s license of a motorist at the North Reclamation Area while his partner waits inside their city-donated patrol car, a Toyota Fortuner, one of the 10 controversial SUVs still unpaid by City Hall. (CDN PHOTO/ LITO TECSON)
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director Senior Supt. Benjamin Santos Jr. was dumbfounded when he learned that the six brand new patrol vehicles that were turned over to them by suspended Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama two months ago have yet to be paid.
“Ha? Hindi pa pala nabayaran yong mga sasakyan? (What? The six Fortuners that we received have not been paid yet?)” he told Cebu Daily News over the phone yesterday.
To avoid getting involved in a controversy, Santos said they are willing to return the vehicles to the Cebu City government.
“Kung ganyan pala ang sitwasyon, dapat isauli namin ang mga yan (If those Fortuners have yet to be paid, then we should return the vehicles to City Hall),” he said.
Last April, Rama turned over six Toyota Fortuners (not eight as earlier reported) to the CCPO.
The Fortuners were among 10 Toyota vehicles which have yet to be paid by the city. Toyota Cebu dealership sent a personnel to City Hall on Friday to collect payment for the vehicles.
Santos said they would abide by whatever directive of Acting Mayor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña with regards to the six Fortuners that have been used by Cebu City policemen for transportation during patrols and other operations.
But since there is no recall order yet, Santos said they would continue using the six Fortuners.
“These vehicles are really a big help to us. They are very useful and dependable unlike old units which easily bog down,” he said.
The six Fortuners are currently used by the CCPO offices and police stations.
Santos said Cebu City policemen actually need more service vehicles to help them in maintaining peace and order in the city.
Aside from the six Fortuners, the CCPO also has six Mitsubishi Adventure vehicles provided by the city government.
In 2014, the city government also gave 14 Toyota Vios sedan to 11 police stations and special units under CCPO.
“But to be honest, we need six more vehicles to be used by the Mobile Patrol Group,” Santos said.
According to the list provided by the city’s General Services Office (GSO), there were eight Fortuners that were given to the CPPO. It, however, turned out that two of the Fortuners are among the over a hundred recalled vehicles now kept inside the Sugbo compound on South Road Properties (SRP).
Of the ten still unpaid Toyota vehicles, one is a Super Grandia that cost P2.2 million and was charged to the budget of the city’s disaster response fund.
Its purchase documents labelled the Grandia as a “disaster response vehicle” even if it was used as a service car of the suspended mayor since it was delivered last February and until Rama returned it to the city on May 17.
GSO assistant head Ronald Malacora said they learned that the two Fortuners were used by City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas and Department of Public Services head Dionesio Gualiza but they could not find any document to show that these were actually assigned to or used by the two departments.
In fact, Malacora added, they still could not find the documents for the eight brand new Fortuners.
“Ang duha naa na sa SRP. Sa atoang nahibaw-an gigamit daw na ni (City Treasurer) Diwa Cuevas ug ni (Department of Public Service head) Engr. Dionesio Gualiza (The two Fortuners were already parked in SRP. What we know is the Fortuners were use by City Treasurer Cuevas and DPS head Gualiza),” he said.
The tenth unpaid car, an Innova that cost P800,000, remained unused and is now also parked inside the Sugbo compound, said Malacora.
Meanwhile, the barangays captains who earlier refused to have their government-issued vehicles subjected for inventory, have also quietly returned their vehicles.
Last Thursday, Acting Cebu City Mayor Margarita Osmeña filed criminal and administrative cases against the 47 barangay captains and officials for refusing to heed her memorandum recalling the vehicles.
But by yesterday, three more barangays returned their vehicles, bringing to only 15 the number of barangays that have yet to heed the recall order issued by Osmeña.
Malacora said Punta Princesa Barangay Captain Jose Navarro turned over the Toyota Innova assigned to him late Friday.
He said Barangays Basak San Nicolas and Inayawan have turned over their vehicles, a Hyundai and Mitsubishi sports utility vehicles (SUVs), respectively, but these were not considered official since both Barangay Captains Norman Navarro of Basak San Nicolas and Lutherlee Soon of Inayawan have not signed their Property Return Slip (PRS).
The three barangay captains are known allies of Rama.
Jose, reached by phone yesterday, said that the controversy involving the city-issued vehicles was stressing him out, the reason why he decided to just give it back.
“Gisamukan na ko. Wala na giingon nga niuli ko nahadlok nako sa mga (Acting Mayor Margarita and Mayor-elect Tomas) Osmeña. Giuli na nako kay na-stress nako nila,” he said.
(I have had enough. I returned the vehicle because I am so stressed out and not because I am afraid of the Osmeñas.)
Jose said he felt he was being “bullied” by the acting mayor and he needed to reduce the stress he was experiencing over the issue because he needed to take care of his health as he was still recuperating from his hospitalization two weeks ago.
“Wala ko magsalig anang ilahang sakyanan. For 20 years isip usa ka kapitan, wala koy gipangayo sa administrasyon ni (Tomas) Osmeña. Wala ko mahadlok ana niya. Ngano man diay akoy nalay magpabiling opposition ni Osmeña? Akong giuli kay nasakit ko; gi-advisan kos doctor dili magpa-stress,” Jose added.(I am not dependent on their vehicle. For 20 years serving as a captain in our barangay, I did not ask anything from the administration of Osmeña. I am not afraid of him. Who cares if I will be the only one who will remain as an opposition to Osmeña? I returned the vehicle because I was sick and I was advised by my doctor that I should not be stressed.)