For official use also?
A government vehicle was spotted in front of a massage parlor in Las Piñas City on Wednesday.
In a Facebook post, Rhia Muhi said she saw a black sport utility vehicle bearing the “FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY” logo while she was inside a massage salon at a posh subdivision in Las Piñas City around 2 p.m.
Muhi told Wheels.ph that once she posted the photo on Facebook, her family and friends, who are from the province of Marinduque, identified the owner as Sangguniang Panlalawigan Board Member John Pelaez.
“I posted it on my Facebook account and my family and friends from Marinduque saw it. They tracked who the vehicle was assigned to and by process of elimination, they learned it was Bokal Pelaez,” Muhi said.
In a report by Marinduque News, Pelaez clarified that he was at a coffee shop across the massage salon for an official meeting.
“Andoon ako sa Chocolate Kopi Shop sa tapat having a meeting with a sponsor para sa request ng mga fishermen sa Lupac. Diyan kami pina-park dahil wala naman naka-park doon (We were asked to park there because there was no vehicle there anyway),” Pelaez said.
In a video provided by Muhi, a commercial establishment can be seen across the massage parlor where the vehicle of Pelaez was parked at.
“The Primo building is where the bokal said he was meeting with someone in a coffee shop there,” Muhi said.
Meanwhile, Muhi told Wheels.ph that government officials “should not abuse taxpayers’ resources.”
“(The vehicle) was inside a private subdivision and far from the main thoroughfare of Alabang – Zapote,” Muhi added.
“They should be careful on how they bandy about public resources. Even if indeed he had an official business in the neighborhood (a private one at that), government officials should be very conscious of propriety,” Muhi said.
Under Section 1 of Administrative Order No. 239, government vehicles are prohibited from being used for other purposes than official use.
