Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival announced plans on Oct. 22, 2026, to enforce stricter background checks on City Hall personnel following the arrest of a Job Order worker in a murder case.
Authorities arrested two principal suspects for the killing of 24-year-old Isaac Vergel Viernes, whose body was found buried under cement in Barangay Pahina Central on Oct. 19.
One suspect executed a videotaped extrajudicial confession admitting to assaulting Viernes on Oct. 8 alongside two other men, while police prepare murder complaints against those involved.
CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival said the City Government needs stricter measures to screen its personnel, stressing that drug testing alone is not enough following reports linking two suspects in the killing of 24-year-old Isaac Vergel Viernes to City Hall.
Archival said on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, that the administration must be more careful in checking the backgrounds of people it hires. He added that drug testing alone fails to ensure that personnel meet the standards expected of government workers.
“We need to do more than that,” Archival said, referring to the existing drug-testing process.
Stricter screening
He acknowledged that the City Government has not been as strict as it should have been in screening job order (JO) workers and said the administration will tighten its checks on applicants and existing personnel.
The review will cover JO workers, casual employees and personnel under other employment arrangements, including those assigned to the Business and Economic Enterprise Office (BEO).
Archival said the City will look particularly into personnel who lack police and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearances.
“Stricter,” he said when asked about the planned screening measures.
Although most appointments are set to run until December, Archival noted the administration will begin checking personnel before then.
Suspects arrested
The announcement came as police continued investigating Viernes’ killing, which led to the recovery of his remains from a vacant lot in Barangay Pahina Central on Monday, Oct. 19.
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) reported on Thursday, Oct. 22, that authorities arrested two principal suspects connected to the crime. One of the suspects was reportedly employed by the Cebu City Government as a JO worker.
Viernes had been missing since Oct. 7. His remains were found buried beneath cement in a vacant lot near the former Citilink Terminal in Pahina Central. His mother, Jenny Viernes, later identified the remains.
Extrajudicial confession
According to the CCPO’s second progress report, one suspect surrendered to police on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 21, and expressed his intention to confess to his involvement in the killing.
The report, shared with the media by Councilor Dave Tumulak on Thursday, said the suspect’s videotaped extrajudicial confession placed him at the scene of the crime on Oct. 8 in Sitio Riverside, Pahina Central.
The suspect allegedly admitted assaulting Viernes before two other men joined the attack, according to the police report. Police said the confession was made in the presence of the suspect’s lawyer and a media personality.
Investigators later arrested him under a warrant for attempted murder in a separate case.
Ongoing probe
Authorities arrested another principal suspect on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in Sitio Taytayan, Pahina Central, for alleged violations of laws on firearms and ammunition and illegal possession of explosives.
Police are preparing a murder complaint against the suspects and other individuals through preliminary investigation. The allegations against the suspects remain subject to investigation and court proceedings.
Archival said he instructed police to pursue the investigation based on what they deemed appropriate. Authorities have been examining evidence, including closed-circuit television footage that reportedly showed Viernes walking with several companions along Natalio Bacalso Ave. shortly before he disappeared.
Earlier reports said Viernes’ partner last saw him drinking with friends in San Nicolas Proper, where he reportedly had an argument with another person.
Following the discovery of the remains, Archival and Councilor Pablo “Paul” Labra II called for a swift and thorough investigation. Labra, chairman of the City Council’s committee on public order and safety, urged police to pursue all credible leads and appealed to anyone with information to contact investigators. / CAV