■ MAN SELLING MEDS NOT PART OF CEBU CITY’S PROGRAM, MAYOR FINDS OUT

For reportedly spreading “fake news” against an urban poor leader in Sitio Lawis, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña will turn away a supporter of Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK).

A certain Charles Tabada had reportedly started rumors in the area that urban poor leader Floro Enricoso was allegedly selling the free medicines intended for the Long Life Medical Assistance Program (LLAMP). Introduced in 2016, the LLAMP provides maintenance medicines daily to around 45,000 beneficiaries in the city.

In his news conference yesterday, the mayor said he found out that Enricoso was not a staff member of the Barangay Mayor’s Office in Mambaling. Neither was he working for LLAMP. Osmeña called a probe on the matter after the City Council asked the Human Resources Department to investigate Enricoso.

Enricoso has since denied the reports, adding that he suspects politics to be behind the allegations against him. He said he is a supporter of the administration.

The mayor confirmed the urban poor leader’s statement. “How can you be selling something that you don’t even have? He’s not even involved in our LLAMP. We checked. But he has been selling antibiotics, which we don’t distribute. It’s just, you know, intrigue for election time. Daghan kaayong fake news,” he added.

Tabada, Osmeña said, was reportedly a leader of one of the candidates for barangay official in the area.

Despite the controversy, Osmeña stood pat that he will not cancel the program. “It’s a very unique package that’s not done anywhere. We’re the only place that’s doing this. I’m very proud of it,” he said.