Osmeña to Garganera: Go ahead with your expose

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday encouraged Tinago barangay councilman Joel Garganera to pursue his expose over the tax fraud allegedly committed by the owner of One-Stop Towing Services.

Osmeña said Garganera should send to jail the owner of the firm if he has enough proof to support his allegations.

The mayor claimed that he does not care if Garganera, one of his vocal critics, will ask the Bureau of Internal Revenue to investigate the alleged tax fraud committed by the proprietor of the towing company, saying that he did not receive any share from his revenue.

“That’s good, he can run after them. I don’t care,” Osmeña said, reiterating his claim that he does not know Wilfredo Evardome, the registered proprietor of the towing company. Garganera said he is still collating evidence to support his complaint he had filed before the office of BIR regional director Rodita Galanto against Evardome last Tuesday.

He is presently inquiring into the ownership of the four towing vehicles owned by the One-Stop Towing Services and a cargo-type vehicle that is being used to haul the motorcycles caught for illegal parking.

Records at the BIR showed that Evardome did not file income tax returns for the past five years.

Garganera speculated that Evardome could have been used as a dummy of a person or a syndicate wanting to defraud the government of taxes, saying it might be possible that the company has not been paying the correct taxes.

Evardome chose to remain silent about the allegations but one of his personnel said, “Tubagon ra gihapon na ni Willy ang kaso.” — Rene U. Borromeo/LPM (THE FREEMAN)