Discovered: 'P20K T-shirt Fraud' in Historical Records
In the heart of Cebu City, questions are swirling around the financial management of the previous administration, as Mayor Nestor Archival links the city's significant projected deficit of P2 to P3 billion to allegedly irregular and overpriced spending.
The most high-profile case involves a luxury vehicle, the BYD Tang electric SUV, with a usual retail price of around P3.3 million. However, it was allegedly priced and attempted to be purchased by the city government for P4.4 million—about P1.1 million above the standard cost. Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña strongly criticised this transaction as "vulgar" and "excessive," suggesting it was part of widespread overpriced and anomalous city government procurements, contributing to the city's budget shortfall.
Former Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia denied the allegations, stating the purchase was cancelled and the transaction never resulted in any payment by the city government. He clarified that after seeking a legal opinion, which was unfavourable, the purchase was called off and the unit was returned to the dealer.
Another questionable transaction has emerged: T-shirts allegedly priced at P20,000 each. Mayor Archival claims to have discovered this purchase, which he describes as "wasteful" and "irregular," severely impacting the city's financial capacity, including the payment of public employees' salaries.
Mayor Archival's team is reviewing the reports one by one, and preliminary reports point to other irregularities. If left unchecked, the sheer volume of questionable spending could explain the city's ballooning deficit.
In response to Garcia's assertion of City Hall's financial stability, Archival maintains that the City is currently facing a budget deficit of P2 to P3 billion. Archival warns that tolerating such transactions could encourage a culture of excess within government offices.
Former Mayor Osmenña earlier flagged the alleged canceled SUV purchase, and efforts to contact the involved parties for comment were unsuccessful. As the investigation continues, the people of Cebu City await answers to these allegations and a clear path to financial stability.
- The luxury vehicle purchase, a BYD Tang electric SUV that was allegedly priced at P4.4 million by the city government, has come under scrutiny as part of the broader investigation into financial mismanagement by the previous administration.
- In addition to the luxury vehicle, questionable transactions such as the purchase of T-shirts, allegedly priced at P20,000 each, are being reviewed by Mayor Archival's team, with preliminary reports pointing to other potential irregularities.
- The growing number of questionable transactions, if left unchecked, could explain the significant projected deficit of P2 to P3 billion that Mayor Archival has cited for Cebu City.
- Amidst these allegations of financial mismanagement and questionable spending, both Mayor Archival and Vice Mayor Osmeña stress the importance of addressing the issue to prevent a culture of excess from taking root in government offices.
