Tuesday, January 08, 2008 Tomas says inmates’ dances better performed inside jail
SAYING that dancing inmates do not impress him, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña believes their talents should be left inside the jail.
Inmates of the provincial and city jail will be treated equally and will not be allowed to participate in the Sinulog 2008 street dancing even if their performance is a novelty that the audience will enjoy.
Osmeña said he will not take unnecessary risks because if anything happens, he will be answerable to the Cebuanos, not Capitol consultant on security Byron Garcia.
“I just don’t understand why Byron insists on inviting himself when they’re already told that they’re not welcome... They may think highly of it that the inmates are dancing but it doesn’t impress me. If there’s a special classification of slapstick, maybe they’ll win,” he said.
Participation
While the inmates are not welcome to join, Osmeña said the invitation for Gov. Gwen Garcia to participate should be treated separately.
For the first time after arriving from a two-week holiday in the US, the mayor explained his reason for not allowing the inmates to dance but said he does not want to discuss the matter further.
He said that even without 100 inmates joining the festivities, the Sinulog requires all the available police force and volunteers and despite the tight security, he still lost his wallet to a pickpocket during the grand parade in 2003.
“Admittedly, having dancing prisoners is a novelty. But to me it’s a no-brainer. I don’t even have to think about it... these people are practically halfway convicted-drug lords, murderers, thieves and possibly the biggest drug lord in Asia-and you want them to dance in front of 20,000 people?” Osmeña told a news conference.
International TV
“Here’s a simple scenario: just explode two bombs... I’ve seen enough movies like that already. And why are we even discussing this? I’m the one responsible for the peace and order of the city, not Byron and not the Sinulog organizers. If anything happens, I will answer for it... mugawas gyud ta sa CNN, sigurado na,” he continued.
Garcia and Cebu City Jail Warden Efren Nemeño had better leave their inmates dancing inside the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) and the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center (BBRC), respectively.
Both had sent letters to the Sinulog Foundation Inc. asking that their inmates be allowed to perform but they were turned down by the SFI board of trustees after the mayor had issued a statement that he will not allow it.
But Osmeña welcomes Governor Garcia, who will be joining the contingent from the Municipality of Daanbantayan and will be participating in the grand finale after the parade.
“The governor is not a criminal, she doesn’t have a case. She was invited by the Sinulog organizers with my prior approval. The reason Byron is not welcome is that I question his sense of values. And he’s saying they will be champions anyway because I am just insecure? We have nothing to prove to him or to anyone,” he said. (LCR)
