Tom’s camp contradicts CH anew

CEBU, Philippines — The legal counsel of former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña has belied the claim that a “third version” of the seal of the Office of the Mayor was used during the inauguration on June 30.

“The city legal officer claims that the official seal is missing, and that the seal used during Mayor Labella's oath taking was a third version of the seal. This is a lie," said Lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan.

Ligutan was referring to City Attorney Rey Gealon’s statement that the seal used during the inauguration of Mayor Edgardo Labella was a third version, which is used only as an attachment to the podium the mayor used in his speech.

Ligutan said the reported third version is, in fact, the official seal.

The official seal of the mayor's office was discovered missing Tuesday morning during Councilor Jerry Guardo's oath-taking before Labella.

The missing seal, Gealon earlier said, has one line below the figure of the Magellan’s Cross, has the year 1521 inscribed under the lines, has a broad depiction of the Magellan’s Cross, has a white color under the Magellan’s Cross figure, and has a bigger inscription of the words City of Cebu.

Cebu City Building Maintenance Section head Mejelito Cajes filed a complaint against Osmeña and 44 others before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas on July 8.

Ligutan said it was Cajes who took the seal out of the mayor’s office as indicated in the logbook on June 25, 2019, five days before the inauguration.

A security guard on duty, who made the logbook entry, executed a sworn statement on July 9, confirming that Cajes took the seal from the mayor’s office.

"Around 9:20 a.m. of 25 June 2019, Engr. Mejelito Cajes went inside the Office of the Mayor together with two other personnel. That when they were about to leave, I noticed that the two personnel from BMS were already carrying something which I later found out to be the Official Seal of the Office of the Mayor," read the affidavit of Joel Atis.

When he asked them about the item, Atis said, Cajes said they were taking it to the ground floor of the Legislative building because “it will be attached to the podium that will be used during the oath taking of Labella.”

Moreover, once they will receive the official copy of the sworn statement of Cajes, Ligutan said, they will be filing perjury case against him, among others. — KBQ (FREEMAN)