Execs mum as Talisay City probes 'sex scandal'

Sun.Star: Is the Talisay City Hall trying to cover up an alleged sex scandal involving two male senior workers detailed at the parks and playgrounds? Reporters, pursuing the news story, seemed to have been given the runaround when trying to reach City Hall officials for confirmation. The story first came out over the weekend in Sun.Star Superbalita, a Cebuano daily, wherein two female job order-employees were allegedly made to play with the genitals of their senior male superiors sometime last November. The two women allegedly had no other recourse as their immediate superiors would not allegedly sign their daily time records unless they gave them oral sex. This reportedly happened at the back of the Talisay City Sports Complex in Barangay Poblacion. No confirmation The victims were detailed as street cleaners at the parks and playgrounds when it happened. They, however, were recently transferred to another office to prevent a repeat of the incident. Their ordeal came out in public when they reportedly sought the help of Councilor Edward Alesna, a neophyte legislator, who got elected in the May 14 polls under the slate of Mayor Socrates Fernandez. Reports said the victims took the chance to disclose their experience when they allegedly renewed their loan with Alesna. Alesna, also a lay minister at Sta. Teresa de Avila parish church in Poblacion, is known to run a “five-six" lending business among workers at City Hall. Daniel Guden, radio dyRF news reporter, revealed that he contacted Alesna for confirmation about the alleged sexual harassment but merely got an outright negative response from the councilor. “Dili ko nila kumpisalan kay di ko pari (They won’t tell me what happened since I am not a priest)," Guden quoted Alesna’s reply on his live reportage. No outcome on probe Superbalita also quoted City Administrator Richel Bacaltos as saying that the matter has already been looked into by the Human Resource Management Office of Emely Cabrera. But the outcome of the inquiry has not reached his table yet, Bacaltos said. DyRF anchorman Ike Durano also contacted City Legal Officer Owen Algoso but the latter refused to be interviewed on radio, preferring to discuss the matter off air. For his part, Fernandez told dyRF in an earlier interview that he already tasked Algoso to investigate the case. But the mayor seemed to have discouraged the two female complainants from lodging a formal case because of lack of witnesses. “It won’t prosper even in a barangay court," the mayor said over dyRF. But Thelma Chiong of the Crusade Against Violence corrected Fernandez, saying victims of sexual harassment are considered vital witnesses to the case. - Sun.Star