THE Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) is still conducting a thorough investigation against the five government employees who have yet to locate the government-issued vehicles, City Administrator Atty. Pacifico Maghari III said Friday, March 17.

Maghari said about 45 government employees were earlier given a notice to explain why they failed to present the government-issued vehicles.

Five of them claimed that the units issued to them were stolen.

Maghari said that the CLO is still validating the statements of the five employees.

The city is still looking for at least 90 government vehicles that were issued to city employees.

Of the 500 government-issued vehicles, 88 are not reported, and 13 others have no documents to be verified.

Of the number, 197 vehicles are still serviceable, 108 are unserviceable, 90 are not found, and four have already been returned, the City Administrator's Office records showed.

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez earlier issued a memorandum directing all employees who were given a memorandum receipt (MR) of the government vehicles to prepare the units for an inspection at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC).*