SHIPOWNER Alex Tan did not consider as a threat the refusal of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña to shake hands with Sta. Fe Municipal Mayor Jose “Titing” Esgana.
In an interview yesterday, Tan, who owns Island Shipping Lines that plies between mainland Cebu and Bantayan Island, said there is no crime in refusing to shake hands with a person.
Tan said Esgana has gained the ire of Osmeña because he (Esgana) demolished the barbed wire fence of the beach resort of Osmena’s sister Minnie in Sta. Fe, while allowing the others to do the same.
Tan said that when he arrived at a coffee shop inside Marriott Hotel last April 29, he saw Esgana approaching Osmeña. He (Tan) then informed Osmeña that it was Esgana.
That was the time that Osmeña refused to shake hands with Esgana.
Tan said he is also consulting his lawyers on what appropriate charges he will file against Esgana for using his power to harass his shipping service personnel.
He recalled that Esgana accused Island Shipping of causing e-coli in the seawater of Sta. Fe. But the company was cleared after inspections by the Department of Environment and National Resources and the Cebu Provincial Government.
He said Esgana started being harsh to them after he (Tan) refused to give in to his (Esgana’s) demands.