The Mandaue City Legal Office recommended administrative, criminal, and civil charges against Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede, former DGS chief Engr. Marivic Cabigas, supplier MFR, and other officials over two unused ambulances worth around P6 million.
The two ambulances, purchased in 2020 and delivered in 2021, remained unused for five to six years because they lacked the required Official Receipt and Certificate of Registration and were registered under a private marketing firm instead of the winning bidder.
Vice Mayor Bercede defended his role by stating that his signing of the check was ministerial, noting he relied on prior countersignatures from other offices and trusted that everything had already been checked.
THE Mandaue City Legal Office (MCLO) has recommended the filing of administrative and criminal charges against Vice Mayor Glenn Bercede, former Department of General Services (DGS) chief Engr. Marivic Cabigas and other officials over two ambulances worth around P6 million that have remained unused since their delivery in 2021.
The MCLO also recommended civil action against the winning supplier, MFR, over the ambulances, which were purchased in 2020 and delivered in 2021 without the required Official Receipt and Certificate of Registration (OR/CR).
City Legal Officer Erwin Rommel Heyrosa said the ambulances were purchased to bolster the city’s health services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the vehicles could not be legally operated because they lacked the necessary registration documents.
“We cannot use them. For a period of five to six years, these vehicles have not been used,” Heyrosa said.
The City Government had fully paid for the ambulances, but the missing OR/CR prevented their legal operation on public roads.
Heyrosa said the preliminary investigation also raised questions about ownership of the vehicles when they were delivered and why the winning bidder was able to supply units registered under another entity.
The MCLO launched its investigation following a Feb. 20, 2026 memorandum from the Office of the Mayor and an Audit Observation Memorandum from the Commission on Audit.
Records showed that the procurement process itself appeared regular, but problems arose during the delivery and acceptance of the vehicles.
MFR, owned by Vicente Chan and Edwin Blancas, won the bid. However, documents showed that MFR was not the registered owner of the ambulances when they were delivered. The vehicles were registered under a private marketing firm.
Heyrosa said accepting and paying for the vehicles despite the missing registration documents exposed the city to possible legal and financial liabilities, particularly in the event of an accident.
The MCLO examined the actions of officials involved in receiving and paying for the units, including Bercede, who served as acting mayor during the transaction, and Cabigas.
Heyrosa said the officials failed to exercise due diligence in accepting and paying for the vehicles despite the incomplete delivery.
“They received the vehicles despite the fact that the delivery was incomplete because the OR/CR was missing, and they still paid for them. They also failed to conduct thorough due diligence to determine whether the delivery was complete,” Heyrosa said.
The MCLO has completed its preliminary investigation report and will submit its findings and affidavits to Mayor Thadeo “Jonkie” Ouano, who will determine the appropriate course of action.
For MFR, the MCLO recommended a civil suit for damages and mutual restitution, which would involve returning the units and recovering the purchase funds.
For the government officials, the MCLO will submit its findings to the Office of the Ombudsman for appropriate action.
“We have to protect the interest of the city,” Heyrosa said.
‘Ministerial’
Bercede defended his role, saying his signing of the check was ministerial after the documents had passed through the required offices.
“It was natural that there was a countersignature from the city administrator. I only signed the documents, and I could not go through each one because there were many papers that the mayor had to sign. We look at whether there is a countersignature from the city administrator, which means the documents had already passed through the city legal office and the city council,” Bercede said.
Bercede said he was not involved in the procurement negotiations because he was serving as acting mayor while then-Mayor Jonas Cortes was away.
“I was only the acting mayor. Once there were signatures from the departments the documents had gone through, I did not go through every detail to ask where the OR/CR was because I trusted that they had already checked everything,” Bercede said.
He said he had no prior knowledge of the documentation problems and was prepared to consult legal counsel if a formal complaint was filed against him.
The MCLO is seeking accountability for the acceptance of the ambulances and recovery of the public funds spent on the vehicles. / ABC