City to file cases vs admins of “Cebu Updates” account

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Government is now hunting down the poser-administrators of the “Cebu Updates,” a social media page the city used to manage but is now seemingly used for a different agenda.

“Expect that there will be cases filed against pretenders of an account that is supposed to be owned by the City Government of Cebu,” City Legal Officer Jerone Castillo said in yesterday’s press conference.

This came after the video of two market personnel, later identified as job order employees, having a shabu session allegedly at the Market Operations Division (MOD)’s office.

MOD Head Robert Barquilla clarified that the video was an old issue, and could no longer considered an “update” but a “history,” since those involved, along with three others, who were found to be positive of illegal drug use during a surprise drug test with COSAP, had already been terminated.

Currently, the page has 236,000 likes and 310,000 followers and identifies itself as a non-government organization (NGO) with the North Reclamation Area indicated as its address.

Based on its page transparency, it was created last May 1, 2012 yet, but its admins had not been revealed.

City Administrator Collin Rosell said its Department of Information and Communications Technology in-charge Dax Arcilla and some Public Information officers have confirmed that this used to be the city government’s social media page on Facebook.

Interestingly, the said page album still has some of the materials that are of the previous administrations, including during the time of mayors Edgardo Labella and even Tomas Osmena, as seen in the different albums.

Arcilla had already been directed to “to institute the necessary measures” including sending a report to Facebook while also asking the police force to determine “who is pretending to be the administrator of the account.”

“We are calling upon all authorities, including the PNP, the cybercrime, including the NBI as well all personnel including the City Legal Office, to act on the matter and do what is proper in order to recover the property of Cebu City,” said Rosell. — Kristin De Dios, CNU Intern/GAN