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Thursday, February 12, 2004
Junie won’t join fray
By Charmaine Y. Rodriguez
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
IN SETTING conditions for a lie detector test on the Perdido Lex issue, Cebu Vice Gov. John Gregory Osmeña is showing he’s scared, at least according to his political rivals.
Gubernatorial candidate Gwendolyn Garcia found “inconsistent” the conditions set by Osmeña, while former congressman Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr. believes the vice governor is panicking.
“Iyang proposal, mura’g sabog, no? I mean, incoherent ba,” Gwen told a news conference yesterday, a day after she challenged Osmeña to take a drug test and a lie detector test on the Perdido Lex issue.
Garcia said the vice governor’s allegation that bringing up the drug test is meant to “deflect” the public’s attention from Perdido Lex runs counter to his suggestion not to limit the questions to the bogus foundation.
“I thought he didn’t want the issue diverted from Perdido Lex? Now, he wants to be asked about anything and everything under the sun. The burning issue is Perdido Lex because it involves public funds,” she added.
She and her father, Gov. Pablo Garcia, both believe that in setting conditions, Osmeña is only trying to be “evasive.”
“He should be afraid. The more he talks, the deeper he sinks. If you run away, your shadow will follow you. And that shadow is Perdido Lex,” the governor added.
The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas is investigating how Capitol ended up giving some P5 million to a foundation that, it now seems, does not exist.
In the meantime, Capitol has suspended aid to all nongovernment organizations,
including those with a good track record of service.
On credibility
Gwen, who does not see the point in including Martinez in the issue, said the challenge for Osmeña remains and they should take the tests immediately while “we’re on the issue of credibility.”
“Sulti lang gud ug di siya. Di ta panukos-nukos. Kung nahadlok siya, kasabot man ta. Di man bogo ang mga Sugboanon ba (If he doesn’t want to take the tests, he should just say so. The Cebuanos will know what to make of it),” added Gwen, who earlier said that whoever fails the test should withdraw from the race.
Gwen made the challenge after Osmeña, in a privilege speech last Monday, identified her as the one who referred Perdido Lex to him.
Martinez, when sought for reaction, also said he will leave the issue to both his opponents in the gubernatorial race.
“Sila na lang ni Gwen ang mag-away ana (Let him and Gwen quarrel over that),” he said.
When asked for reaction after Osmeña dragged his name into the challenge, Martinez said, “He (Osmeña) is a man nga naratol. He does not know kinsa iyang kontra.”
Osmeña had said he could not allow Martinez to benefit from “an event where Gwen and I wash our dirty laundry in public.”
However, Gwen said the vice governor’s suggestion that they take the polygraph test in a “neutral spot” like Manila indicates that he does not trust the Cebuanos.
“Wa siya mosalig sa Sugbuanon? And he wants to run for governor in Cebu?” she added.
(February 12, 2004 issue)
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