AN AMBULANCE assigned to Barangay Apas that has been unaccounted for since 2020 is now under formal investigation by Cebu City Hall after it was flagged as “not found” in a recent inventory.
The City Government, through the Department of General Services (DGS), issued a demand letter to Barangay Apas officials on March 25, 2026, seeking the immediate location of the Toyota
Hiace vehicle.
The DGS ordered Apas Barangay Captain Virgil Cabigon to produce or account for the Toyota Hiace commuter van ambulance with plate number SKN 554, listed under barangay accountability through a Property Acknowledgment
Receipt.
The directive cited COA Circular 2020-006, which requires strict documentation and physical inventory of
government assets.
A follow-up DGS letter dated April 15 stated that while the office received verbal information that the ambulance had been brought to a Toyota service center for repair, no formal documents, transfer records, or updated custody reports were submitted. During the inventory, the unit was declared “not found.”
‘Fatal accident’
The issue surfaced after former Apas barangay captain Ramil Ayuman raised concerns over the prolonged absence of the ambulance.
Ayuman said he has long known of the vehicle’s history, including its alleged involvement in a fatal road incident in 2020 involving a security guard, after which it was reportedly sent for repair.
“I’ve known about this for a long time, since 2020. After the first incident where someone died, it was reportedly brought to Toyota for repairs, but it was never returned,” he said.
He said he formally raised the matter with the DGS through a message on April 8, requesting verification of the ambulance’s status. This prompted an official inventory check and the issuance of a demand letter.
Cabigon, however, maintained that the ambulance is not missing and remains in a private repair facility.
He said the unit is currently at a Toyota facility, possibly in Mandaue City, after sustaining major damage during
the pandemic.
“It happened during the pandemic so it wasn’t fixed. The front part was a total wreck. It’s there. It never went missing,” he said.
Cabigon also said he had previously submitted a memorandum to the DGS regarding the unit’s condition.
He acknowledged that the ambulance has not been retrieved due to its condition and financial constraints, and that it remains at the service center.
He added that accumulated storage and repair costs have become a major concern, noting that storage fees alone have reached nearly half a million pesos, excluding repair costs.
Cabigon said the barangay has communicated with Toyota regarding the escalating costs but has not been able to settle the fees due to budget limitations.
“If we have the funds, we’ll pull it out. But right now, we don’t,” he said.
Accountability issue
Ayuman questioned why the unit remained in storage for nearly six years without retrieval or proper reporting.
He said the situation raises accountability concerns, especially since the ambulance is a government-donated asset.
“Who will pay for the storage fee? That must be a substantial amount,” Ayuman said, noting that the ambulance was donated by the Cebu City Government to Barangay Apas around 2018 during the administration of then-mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Once transferred, Ayuman said, responsibility for custody and maintenance rests with the barangay.
Cabigon confirmed that Barangay Apas currently has limited emergency vehicles.
In 2024, two additional units were acquired through assistance from city officials; however, one of the newer units was later involved in another fatal incident on April 19 and is under investigation.
This leaves Barangay Apas with only one operational ambulance. / CAV