ANY PERSON who has information about the scheme dubbed “Palawan Boys,” which reportedly involves older male City Hall employees soliciting sexual favors from female job order employees in exchange for money, is urged to come forward and provide testimonies so an investigation can be conducted.
This was the call from lawyer Homer Cabaral, City Hall’s resident ombudsman, following a post on a controversial Facebook page about male employees engaging in illicit sexual activities.
Cabaral told SunStar Cebu in a phone interview on Thursday, July 25, 2024, that no formal complaints have been filed with his office regarding the matter.
He said that without a formal complaint and supporting evidence, the Facebook page’s “report” remains hearsay.
However, Cabaral said that appropriate legal measures would be taken if the allegations are proven true.
A controversial Facebook page has labeled these male employees as “Palawan Boys” due to their frequent use of a popular money transfer service to send money.
For his part, Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said in a press conference Thursday that a probe into the “Palawan Boys” allegations would be challenging without specific names.
“Wa man god names nga nilutaw. So, lisod pa kaayo mag-investigate if there is really no names nga nilutaw,” Garcia said.
(There are no names that have come up. So, it’s very difficult to investigate if there are no names of the involved.)
A subsequent post from the Facebook page, purportedly from the wife of the department head, denied any sexual affair between her husband and job order employees; however, the wife admitted that her husband sometimes sponsored medication for his subordinates.
The Facebook page identified the department head, but SunStar Cebu is withholding the official’s name pending his statement.
Garcia has instructed Acting City Administrator Kristine Joyce Batucan to be vigilant for any abuses at City Hall. / DPC, EHP