THE purchase of a luxury electric vehicle (EV) of the previous Cebu City administration was a “vulgar” spending.
This was how Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña described the acquisition of a BYD Tang for P4.4 million during the time of then-Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, who said there was no misuse of funds.
“If you’re wondering why Raymond Garcia was so hesitant to turn over documents to Nestor’s administration, here is just one example: a P3.3 million luxury SUV purchased for P4.4 million,” Osmeña told reporters on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
“The City Government has no business buying such an expensive vehicle for personal use. Not only is the BYD Tang the most expensive model the company sells in the Philippines, but the fact that City Hall paid P1.1 million more than the standard retail price is absolutely vulgar,” he added.
Canceled transaction
Former mayor Garcia denied allegations of extravagant spending under his watch, clarifying that Osmeña’s accusation referred to a transaction that was canceled and never paid for by the Cebu City Government.
“Na-cancel naman to nga transaction (The transaction was cancelled). In fact, the City Government has not paid a single centavo on it,” he said in a phone interview.
Garcia explained that while his office initially endorsed the proposed acquisition, he sought a legal opinion from the City Legal Office before proceeding.
“When the City Legal opinion came out (and it was unfavorable), I immediately had it canceled,” he added.
According to Garcia, the vehicle was returned prior to his exit from office in June 2025.
Florante Catalan, head of the Office of the Building Official, confirmed Garcia’s statement, saying the BYD Tang unit was returned to the dealer.
Catalan said his office had the vehicle in their custody for about a week for testing purposes, but the procurement process did not proceed.
“The purchase did not push through,” Catalan said. He declined to comment further and referred inquiries to the Bids and Awards Committee.
Response
Osmeña responded to Garcia’s statement on his Facebook page. He asked: “For how long was the vehicle used before it was returned? Why was the ‘legal opinion’ that is the supposed reason for the return of the BYD only given one month after losing the elections, more than four months after it was delivered, and almost ONE YEAR after the purchase request was made?”
“Why wait so long to return the vehicle (it’s not cancelling a purchase since the product is already used) when the overpricing for an already very expensive personal vehicle is already in the initial purchase request? Why wait to lose the elections before covering up and denying Mayor Nestor the documents his office needs?” Osmeña said.
“What else will his administration uncover? Did you return the hundreds of millions worth of overpriced rice used during the campaign as well? In the words of a wise man, Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang? You left the BYD’s charger in the parking lot by the way,” he added.
The BYD Tang is a plug-in hybrid sports utility vehicle assembled in China.
Law vs. luxury purchases
Government procurement guidelines under Republic Act 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act) prohibit excessive or luxury purchases that do not serve a public utility function.
Photos posted online showed the BYD vehicle marked with the logo of the Office of the Building Official.
The purchase order dated Nov. 26, 2024, showed Hyundai Cebu Inc. offered the BYD Tang EV for P4.419 million through competitive bidding.
Osmeña maintained that the SUV was just one of “dozens, if not hundreds” of overpriced vehicles and items procured by City Hall in recent years. He also questioned other purchases, including a Toyota HiAce reportedly worth P3.6 million.
He linked the alleged overpriced procurements to the delay in document turnover from Garcia’s team to the incoming administration of Mayor Nestor Archival.
The City Government is currently grappling with a P2-billion budget deficit, based on preliminary figures provided by Archival. Osmeña said many documents remain unaccounted for, complicating efforts to finalize the City’s financial picture.
“The accounting of Cebu City’s funds is a mess. Much work is to be done,” he said. / EHP