EDITORIAL Political appetite
No one can prevent Cebu City Councilor Pastor Alcover from making good his threat to sue Mayor Tomas Osmeña if he thinks there are enough grounds to warrant the filing of the case against Osmeña regarding the latter’s scolding of a court sheriff over a lot dispute last week.
On Tuesday, Alcover of Team Rama threatened to sue the mayor for confronting court sheriff El Cid Ceballos who was about to implement a court order for the demolition of several structures in Barangay Capitol Site.
The councilor said he will consult his lawyers whether there is proof that would merit a case against Osmeña before the Office of the Ombudsman. According to Alcover, the mayor’s act of grabbing Ceballos’ ID lanyard during their encounter only promotes a “culture of violence.”
Osmeña, for his part, welcomes Alcover’s threat, saying defending a government property is not a form of violence. He had challenged Ceballos to sue him, adding that as mayor, it is his duty to protect life and property.
Should Alcover push through with his legal threat against Osmeña, Cebuanos can expect another confrontation between the mayor and the opposition in a seemingly neverending saga of political showdown between the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan and Team Rama.
However, it remains to be seen whether the councilor’s move to file charges against the mayor will gain public support considering the fact that there are those who would think it is being pursued only to satisfy his political appetite.
While nothing can stop them from pursuing a case against Osmeña over the Capitol Site incident, Alcover and the rest of the opposition should remember that they themselves have no participation in the incident, and therefore have no direct interest in the case.
The best party to file the complaint is Ceballos himself. The court sheriff was clearly humiliated when Osmeña pointed at him and rushed to grab his ID lanyard. Of course the court can also do its part by going after the mayor for obstruction.