Osmeña’s allegations

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has issued an ultimatum to Cebu City Police Office Director Royina Garma. Solve in 10 days the strafing incidents in the mountain barangays of Sudlon 2 and Sinsin involving his two allies, Barangay Captains Prescillo Alborez and Aurello Lascuña, respectively, or he would withdraw the City Government’s support to the city police.

The mayor said he already informed President Rodrigo Duterte about what happened past midnight last Thursday, April 4, and the latter told him to forward all the facts.

It appears Osmeña and the President are once again bosom buddies after the head of state had publicly threatened to slap him and beat him up.

“I’ve always respected President Duterte but never in the 30 years I’ve known him has he used the police for politics,” the mayor said, hinting at a long and cordial relationship with the commander-in-chief of all the country’s armed forces.

Osmeña must be feeling confident about their “friendship” because he accused Colonel Royina Garma of being the “worst” city police

director for agreeing to be used by politicians without offering any shred of evidence except for the fact that no one had targeted barangay officials linked to his rivals.

Was he then insinuating that the camp of Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, his opponent in next month’s mayoral race, was behind these acts of violence? The very same Labella whose only brush with controversy was his six-month suspension along with then mayor Michael Rama and 12 other councilors in 2016 over the distribution of calamity funds to City Hall employees and officials in 2013?

Or was Osmeña suggesting that Rama, who had publicly tried to clear his name after he was included on the list of public officials with links to the illegal drug trade, suddenly wielded undue influence over the police? So much so that Rama could use them to intimidate allies of his political rivals?

Both scenarios seemed very unlikely, which might explain why Garma brushed aside the allegations.

The police official has made it clear that she is here to serve the people of Cebu City and not any particular group.