FORMER Cebu City Hall employees possessing City-owned digital handheld radio units have been given 72 hours to return the units, or else they will face legal action.
Cebu City Administrator Kristine Joy Batucan has sent a letter to 16 former employees (not 18 as earlier reported), demanding that they surrender the digital radios to the Department of General Services.
This information was revealed by Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia in a press conference on Monday, April 21, 2025.
“We’ll see. Kon dili gani nila i-uli...among i-forward sa (if they do not return the units, we will forward this matter to the) City Legal Office,” Garcia said.
Garcia confirmed that the City has identified the individuals who possess the government radios through equipment acknowledgment receipts.
He said that once returned, the possessor of the item will sign a property return slip.
Garcia said he became aware of the issue through the news, and he later received information about the radios’ use during a political campaign.
“You’re not supposed to do that because this is a government property, most especially if you are no longer connected to the government,” he said.
When asked whether any radios had already been returned, Garcia said that he had not yet received any reports.
In a previous SunStar Cebu report, Batucan asked Hello Marketing Inc., the supplier, to immediately deactivate the digital radio units.
She said in the letter that the use of the digital radios lacked proper authorization. The units were originally provided for official disaster response and public safety communication.
The city administrator identified at least 16 individuals possessing digital radio units, along with their corresponding serial numbers.
These individuals included Elmer Mandanat, Noel Saciedo, Generous Flores Gonzales, Phillip John Singson, Angelo Zambo, Christ Mark Garma, and Winston Nogra. These individuals may have been affiliated with the previous Rama administration. Others listed were Roger Luna, Archie Dereche, Mark Anthony Sayaboc, Dinnes Napoles, Emilio Acquizar, Kevin Sanchez, Roland Parawan, Jesena Teresita and Guy Unabia.
Disaster office head Ramil Ayuman earlier said the digital radios were purchased during the administration of the late mayor Edgardo Labella in 2020.
Former mayor Michael Rama’s administration took over these assets after Labella’s death in 2021. Rama, who was then the vice mayor, assumed the mayor’s post after Labella’s death.
According to Ayuman, the inventory and turnover of these digital radio units were not monitored when the administration changed in October 2024 due to Rama’s dismissal. (JPS)