Tom denies drug suspect is his driver
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña denied reports that one of his drivers was caught in a buy-bust operation by the police in the city.
In his press conference yesterday, the mayor believes that it is done by the opposition party which he said cannot present something good for the city.
“Fake news. I don’t know him. My staff doesn’t know him,” Osmeña said, referring to Walter Oliamot who was arrested by police with 400 grams of suspected shabu on February 28.
Oliamot alleged that a certain Juan Daclan, who offered him money to join the drug trade, was in contact with a certain “Shao” who is reportedly inside the Cebu City Jail.
Osmeña believed that it is “normal” for the other party to implicate him to anything.
“The other side, they cannot do anything but spread bad news, make fake news, they have nothing to offer. What do they have to offer?” he told reporters.
The mayor also challenged Barug Team Rama members to release the P300,000 reward money they said that will be given to any informant who can reveal the mastermind of the ambush-slay of the late Ermita barangay captain Felicisimo “Imok” Rupinta.
Osmeña has already denied involvement in the killing of Rupinta.
“We’ll offer P300,000 who can tell us who the mastermind is. They said it’s Tommy Osmeña. How come they don’t pay the guy P300,000? Puros yawyaw. I challenge them. How come they don’t pay the guy P300,000? Pay him,” the mayor said.
He said he can defend himself in the court if there will be questions about his involvement.
Sought for comment, City Councilor Joel Garganera said he has no idea on the rumors about the driver of Osmeña.
“Wala gyud koy knowledge ana. Pero nahibong ko nganong gi-tag ko (Facebook post). Akong gi-remove,” Garganera said. (I have no knowledge on that. I was surprised why I was tagged in the Facebook post. I removed it.)
When asked about the P300,000 reward money, he said Osmeña should not get into the way because he is not part of Barug Team Rama.
Garganera said the money is already there while the group is waiting for the appropriate charges to be filed in the court against the alleged mastermind and the perpetrators of the killing of Rupinta.
“I think the group will coordinate with the PNP. I don’t know the mechanics. The case has not been filed yet. Naa pa sa prosecutor. To be honest, Tommy is very good in making issues like before kami pasanginlan anang tarpaulin nga during the IEC that ‘it’s a Binay country’. We are not stupid,” Garganera said.
Garganera said the mayor should not drag his group to any “cheap form of misinformation.”
Meanwhile, police seized more than P600,000 worth of illegal drugs in separate operations in Cebu City.
In Barangay Tinago, police seized P129,800 worth of suspected shabu from two alleged drug pushers Wednesday evening.
Police Senior Inspector Jovito Labra, station chief of Waterfront Police Station, identified the suspects as Raffy Sayson, 32, and Eliseo Duterte Flores, 29, both residents of the said place.
Sayson, also known as "Raprap," was the actual subject of the drug bust operation. He is considered a newly-identified drug suspect by the Police Station 3 and has been under surveillance for weeks.
On the other hand, Flores was not on the list of alleged drug peddlers but was allegedly caught having in his possession packs of suspected shabu during the drug-bust operation against Sayson.
Police later learned that Flores owns the place in the inner portion of SitioPontat where Sayson usually does his illegal transactions including selling of shabu and holding drug sniffing sessions.
Police allegedly seized seven small sachets of suspected shabu from Sayson and two medium sachets from Flores.
In another operation, a mother and her daughter were arrested for allegedly selling illegal drugs.
They are identified as Maria Teresa Togino, 55, and Maribel Mancao, 36, of Sitio Mansanitas, Barangay Duljo Fatima, Cebu City.
Suspects yielded 73 pieces of small sachets and three medium sachets of suspected shabu with an estimated value of P 240,000.
Mancao, the daughter, said that her mother has stopped selling drugs but because of poverty, she was forced to go back to her illegal business.
In Barangay Tisa, police seized P295,000 worth of suspected shabu from EstonTaboada, 20, of Barangay Calamba, Cebu City yesterday dawn.
Taboada was allegedly caught with five medium packs of shabu with an estimated weight of 25 grams.