Scrolling down: about Duterte's choice of president if he'd resign before his term; why "they" are out to remove Mayor Osmeña politically or physically; Tomas's promise to tell how a consortium "ripped off" Cebu City; and a dramatic sound bite: "I won't die for the city but I will kill for it"
First, the day's puzzler:
President Rodrigo Duterte said he would step down if Bongbong Marcos would win in his protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. That, after he earlier said he would want leaders like Bongbong and Chiz Escudero or "a military junta" to replace him.
Not his choice to pick a successor since the people voted for Leni, a constitutional fiat and mandate. Besides, is he not trying to influence the Presidential Electoral Tribunal by publicly announcing his preference? And the military junta: eoooww. P.S. "Si Alan Cayetano, his 2016 VP bet, Wa gani intawon i-mention," lamented a Cayetano supporter.
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'They're out to get me'
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña sees more than the use of lethal force against perceived enemies of the drug war. The threats on his life and his allies are not actually about curbing illegal drugs in Cebu City. He and his allies such as Tejero Councilor Jingjing Cadungog and Councilor Dave Tumulak are not into drugs and are not protecting drug traffickers, Tomas said.
So what's the "real deal"? He thinks that this is all about his persistent and intense efforts to rescind multimillion-peso contracts, which can generate billions of pesos worth of business, at the South Road Properties.
A consortium of companies bought chunks of the SRP but have not developed them because the mayor has sat on the deal since 2016. Tomas offers no evidence though that anyone in the consortium is responsible for the current verbal tug-of-war between Tomas and the local police.
He said it started with the smear job on his former close-in security, SPO1 Adonis Dumpit, who was killed and linked to drugs. Then the foiled ambush on Cadungog which resulted on the gunshot death of a cop by the barangay official's driver-bodyguard. Followed he said by the threats and the arrival of killers from Negros. In sum, he believes "they" are out to remove him as mayor, politically or physically.
He told all that, and more, in an interview with Jason Monteclar Thursday (August 16) on dyCM radio.
But he's not giving up
Mayor Tomas said he's not giving up and wouldn't compromise. If he would, he said, he'd be seen as being bought and paid for.
He even promised or threatened, depending upon how one views it, to disclose data how the consortium of companies "had ripped off the city" on the SRP transaction.
The mayor didn't say if he'd go to court and seek the rescission or annulment, whichever remedy his lawyers would use, of the contracts. He indicated that after he won the May elections in 2016 but before he assumed office the following June 20. Until now, he still has not sought authorization from the City Council to declare the contracts revoked and seek their cancellation by the court.
Won't die, will kill for Cebu
"I will not die for Cebu," Mayor Tomas categorically said, quickly adding "but I will kill for Cebu."
The dying part people can understand. He had been wished ill by many people. He has been afflicted with a scourge of a disease. He is scheduled to undergo an hernia operation about which he had earlier disclosed. And as Jason M. added, the mayor could fall off the stairs somewhere. Which wouldn't be heroic. But with these alleged threats against him, if they were carried out, that would be something else.
But Tomas doing the killing? How would he do that except to respond to an assault with guns blazing? Maybe he could, with two recent fiascoes by alleged police assassins: the Cadungog attack, in which his driver-bodyguard shot a cop dead, and the ambush on a PDEA agent, in which the victim was able to shoot back and kill a shooter). But don't bet on seeing Tomas with a gun ala James Bond, er, security guard.
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