The messenger is not the message
Former NBI regional director Florencio Villarin recently sued Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and several others before the Office of the Ombudsman for appointing several of his councilor allies as his deputies, calling it grave misconduct and culpable violation of the Constitution, among others. Osmeña is accusing presidential assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino of being the real face behind the charges.
Dino has not replied to Osmeña's allegation. But even if he did, a denial is to be expected. So there is nowhere to go in that direction. But just supposing it was indeed Dino who was behind the charges, then so what? Do the merits of the case fly or fall on who was behind it? The reaction of Osmeña is interesting because he seems to be going after the messenger instead of dealing with the message.
To be sure, Osmeña is not required to explain himself in a public exchange of allegations. His time will come when the Ombudsman starts hearing his case and it becomes necessary for him to answer the charges and defend himself. Nevertheless it is his choice whether or not to take his case before the public in addition to his having to defend himself before the Ombudsman.
Going after the messenger instead of dealing with the message, though, is an old trick usually employed by people who find themselves in a tight situation and therefore need some wriggle room. It is not only a form of distraction that helps buy time it also helps divert attention from where the real focus of public attention should remain.
But the main intention of those who go after the messenger instead of dealing with the message is really to temper the impact of the charges. The ploy springs from the hope that tarnishing the charges with imputations of ill motive might help cushion their impact on public sensibilities. It is not clear, of course, if the ploy can help Osmeña's cause. But he can most certainly try, as he in fact is now trying.
But then again, it does not really matter what the public perception would be. With charges already filed before the Ombudsman, that is where Osmeña should really bring his fight and not at some streetcorner brawl he seems to be imagining. For even if it is true as Osmeña claims that Dino is behind the charges, what matters to the Ombudsman is only whether Osmeña is guilty as charged or not. The way it looks, Osmeña needs a much better fight plan.