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Thursday, March 04, 2004
Cell cards, packed meals amount to bribery: Alvin
By Linette C. Ramos
FORMER Cebu City Mayor Alvin Garcia is contemplating on filing a petition to disqualify Mayor Tomas Osmeña for bribing drivers’ groups last Monday.
Garcia said the health cards, packed meals and pre-paid cellular phone cards that Osmeña gave the drivers who did not join the strike is tantamount to bribery, which constitutes an election offense.
Lawyers of the opposition party Kugi Uswag Sugbo (Kusug) will also review laws of
the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on giving donations in kind during the election period.
“We’re already studying everything because there may be an election offense there somewhere and if we find one we will file the petition before the Comelec immediately,” Garcia said.
Not bothered
Osmeña dismissed the opposition’s plans, saying he is not bothered because it is normal and expected of desperate candidates like Garcia.
He said he was only preventing a major strike where passengers would be stranded and would have to walk home.
Osmeña also refused to take on Garcia’s challenge to file complaints against Kusug candidates who they believe were already campaigning even if the campaign period starts on March 25 yet.
The mayor said this is no longer necessary because he is confident that Kusug candidates will lose in the May 10 polls.
As for Osmeña’s allegations that he had a hand in the strike, Garcia said the mayor is only showing that he is “desperate and paranoid.”
He said Osmeña’s statements that Kusug leaders met with the drivers on the eve of
Monday’s strike are false.
“It’s a big lie. He is so paranoid that he finds an enemy in everybody. He is so desperate to get votes so he bribes the drivers with insurance cards, cell cards and food,” Garcia said.
(March 4, 2004 issue)
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