Osmeña dares Rama to sue him
CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña challenged his political archrival, former mayor Michael Rama, to pursue the filing of case against him.
Osmeña’s statement came after Rama reacted on the mayor’s pronouncement that the latter received P10 million from slain alleged top drug lord in Central Visayas Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz.
“File, then we will going to a lie detector test. I challenged him, if he refused that’s an indication that he’s hiding something, he said it’s not necessary, well, now it’s necessary,” Osmeña told reporters during his news conference yesterday.
In his news conference last Wednesday, Osmeña accused Rama of receiving P10 million from Diaz, which the latter denied.
“I don’t even know who Jaguar is, I can’t determine his face. How will I receive money from him? I will review his statements in the papers and if I found strong and enough (basis) that he is coming out with stupid, baseless, unfounded fabricated accusations, libel will follow,” Rama told Sun.Star Cebu in an interview.
As to the amount allegedly received by Rama, Osmeña said he got it from a source, whom he refused to disclose.
Osmeña said that even President Rodrigo Duterte named Rama as among the alleged narco-politicians in the country.
“And the President himself said, so file. Let him (Rama) file maybe the reason why he wants to file so that I would no longer talk about this but the people have to know because it’s our city,” said Osmeña.
Osmeña said that self-confessed drug lord Rolando “Kerwin” Espinosa Jr. also disclosed in the past Senate hearings that he delivered drugs in some Cebu City barangays. These barangays include Ermita, Duljo-Fatima, Suba and Lorega San Miguel, whose leaders are Team Rama allies, Osmeña said.
Aside from Rama, Osmeña also linked National Police Commission (Napolcom) Central Visayas Director Homer Cabaral as among the alleged drug protectors in the city.
Although he has no evidence against Cabaral that will qualify in filing a case against him, Osmeña said that the former, who is from Barangay Duljo-Fati- ma, failed to report the allegedly illegal activities of his neighborhood. Diaz is from Barangay Duljo-Fatima. “I don’t have any evidence against Cabaral except circumstantial but you know you’re head of Napolcom and you live in the same barangay where biggest drug lord in Cebu City lives, something wrong about it but that’s enough to establish criminal guilt but there’s definitely a responsibility,” Osmeña said.
Sought for comment, Cabaral just laughed at the allegations of Osmeña.
“Sila (Osmeña and Rama) ra man ang nag away, di lang ta ko apilon. Kong mang-bully siya, adto nalang sa presidente (The conflict is between him and Rama, he should not include me. If he plans to bully anyone, then he should go directly to the President),” he told Sun. Star Cebu in a phone interview.
Cabaral believes that Osmeña has not gotten over the move of the Napolcom in recalling his supervision over the police.
Cabaral said that he only implemented the order, which came from the Office of the President.