DEPARTMENT OF Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Jonathan E. Malaya said former Cebu City Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña could be sanctioned for violating Republic Act 3019, Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, for stripping bare his office as his term ended last Friday. “The DILG will investigate the reported act of former Cebu Mayor Osmeña of stripping the Mayor’s office of everything from ceiling to floor tiles rendering it unusable and completely bare,” Mr. Malaya said in a text message to BusinessWorld on Monday, July 1. “But the act of even removing what are considered immovable objects like ceiling, walls, and the tiles is already bad faith because it renders the office, which is government property, as unusable by his successor and therefore affects the delivery of public service to the people of Cebu City,” he said. “What the mayor should have done was to file a claim for indemnification for all the immovable improvements he introduced to the office so that he can be reimbursed for the cost,” he added. The new mayor, Edgardo C. Labella, has said that he wants to hold office at the ground floor of the city hall and not at Mr. Osmeña’s former office on the 8th floor. Mr. Labella, however, said the former mayor’s office could have been preserved and used as a lounge for VIP guests. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras with a report from The Freeman

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