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Ex-Cebu City mayor Osmeña cleared of raps for leaving office bare

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The office of former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña was stripped of all of its fixtures before Edgardo Labella assumed office in 2019. ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/06/28/cebu1.jpg"/><figcaption>The office of former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña was stripped of all of its fixtures before Edgardo Labella assumed office in 2019.<em> ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>CEBU CITY — The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed the criminal complaints against former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña for leaving his successor with a bare office and an allegedly missing city seal in 2019. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/02/19/cebu-mayor-to-press-charges-vs-osmena-running-mate-over-bare-office">Cebu mayor to press charges vs Osmena, running mate over bare office</a></li></ul><p>In a copy of the resolution released to the media on Monday, the Ombudsman said the complaints were junked due to a lack of probable cause. </p><p>Osmeña, his executive assistants, department heads, and security guards had faced graft, theft, and malicious mischief charges for allegedly taking government property that belonged to the mayor’s office. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/28/19/no-tiles-or-table-outgoing-cebu-city-mayor-osmea-leaves-office-bare-for-incoming-labella">No tiles or table: Outgoing Cebu City Mayor Osmeña leaves office bare for incoming Labella</a></li></ul><p>But the Ombudsman noted that Osmeña followed the procedure in restoring the office at the 8th floor of the Cebu City Hall to its condition in 2016 prior to his term. </p><p>It also found that the former mayor spent personal funds for the office&#x27;s rehabilitation after the city council denied his request for a P2-million budget. </p><p>“There is insufficient evidence showing that public respondents acted with manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence,” the resolution read. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/06/30/19/i-had-to-spend-for-everything-outgoing-city-mayor-defends-removal-of-office-fixtures">&#x27;I had to spend for everything&#x27;: Outgoing city mayor defends removal of office fixtures</a></li></ul><p>The missing seal was also taken by the complainant, as reflected in the security guard’s logbook. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2116930" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>“The truth is finally out—former Tomas Osmeña was only taking what was his, and the approved plan was to restore the mayor’s office to its prior condition in 2016 when mayor Osmeña took office,” said his lawyer Amado Ligutan. </p><p>In 2019, then incoming mayor Edgardo Labella slammed Osmeña for leaving the office without tiles, tables, ceilings, and dividers. Labella had to work at the vice mayor’s office until renovations were completed. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/19/21/cebu-mayor-edgardo-labella-dies">Cebu Mayor Edgardo Labella dies</a></li></ul><div><strong>— Report from Annie Perez</strong></div><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES: </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2116928" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The Ombudsman has dismissed the criminal complaints against former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña for leaving his successor with a bare office in 2019.