Monday, September 13, 2004 (Philippines)

STONES AT PABLO, TOMAS. Former senator John Osmeña hurls accusations against former Cebu governor Pablo Garcia and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña. Sonny says plunder is punishable by death and, with respect to Tomas, he would rather have him get all the rope he needs to hang himself and “let him self-destruct as I am sure he would.” (SUN.STAR FOTO/Amper Campaña) FORMER senator John “Sonny” Osmeña accused former Cebu governor Pablo Garcia yesterday of plunder. He will ask the anti-graft office today to investigate the alleged illegal use of public funds to ensure the victory of Garcia’s daughter Gwendolyn in the May 2004 elections. “I am accusing (former) governor Garcia of the crime of plunder, which is punishable by death, for the expenditure of close to a billion pesos of provincial funds,” Osmeña told reporters in a press conference yesterday noon. He said the disbursement of about P800 million of Capitol funds, “a lot of which was not authorized by the provincial budget of 2003, was spent by Garcia in the 2004 provincial elections to support the candidacy of his daughter and now incumbent Gov. Gwen Garcia-Codilla.” [full story]

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