WAS the driver of Cebu City Councilor Ritchie Osmeña carrying out a government-related task when he bumped a teacher in Banilad last week? I ask this because the vehicle used was the official vehicle assigned to the councilor. It has red plates.
A friend who was at the Vicente Gullas Memorial Hospital when the victim Junrey Sanchez was first brought said the vehicle had red plates and there was one female passenger that somebody later fetched. The school principal, who was with the victim when the accident happened, accompanied him at the Gullas hospital and later at the Chong Hua Hospital.
I hope media friends would also take the statement of the school principal who witnessed the whole incident and looked out for Sanchez during these critical moments. Her actions are commendable.
Perhaps, the good councilor would be transparent about this unfortunate incident because it involved a government vehicle. It is not “For Official Use Also.” The vehicle is “For Official Use Only.”
Witnesses saw a passenger who apparently is studying at the USC Talamban campus. Those at the Gullas hospital believed the passenger was the councilor’s daughter.
Councilor Ritchie could perhaps confirm the identity of the passenger and show proof about the package the driver got at the airport.
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Talking about hospitals, I visited media veteran Boy Solomon at the Velez hospital last Saturday. He was being treated for a swollen foot. I could still remember Boy Solomon reading the news on our black-and-white television set when I was a boy. I first knew Boy as a friend of my father Doroy. He became my friend when I began as a journalist at Newstime Daily in the early ‘90s.
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Three Sundays ago, a nephew was robbed two corners from the house in Carmen Village in Talisay by two armed motorcycle-riding men.
The two took off with his backpack. The bag contained a laptop used by the graduating student for his thesis and two cell phones, one an I-phone. The next day, a boy who lived nearby was again victimized by the same men who took his backpack containing a laptop.
I went and asked around where the incident happened. I got a few details from neighbors but was surprised that nobody saw a shadow of a Talisay police investigator conducting even an ocular inspection.
A day later, I personally followed up the blotter report at the Talisay City Police Station and talked with a certain Investigator Pablo. The police officer was in a hurry, saying he had to rush to a court hearing.
Poblacion Barangay Captain Teodoro Belleza later told me he has been seeking police support because of the number of complaints in the area and the limited number of unarmed tanods.
I was not able to follow up because my mom died. Although I gave the investigator my number, he never contacted me for updates. No police investigator likewise asked questions from nearby sari-sari stores.
Instead, the incident bolstered our belief that the police are tolerating petty crimes committed by people said to be drug addicts.
Why? Well, it seems the police are not really fighting the drug menace with one hand tied behind the back. They are more like beneficiaries.
And what is Mayor Johnny de los Reyes doing? I heard he is too busy managing his family and relatives he has employed at the City Hall.
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It seems Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza, allied with the ruling Liberal Party since 2013, has consolidated her position. Friends based in the city said Mayor Paz brought back investor confidence and institutionalized good governance.
Her battle cry, I was told, is “With Good Governance, No Oponganon Will Be Behind.”
What happened to her opponents who were the erstwhile LP leaders in Lapu-Lapu City? I could recall that the LP members in the city split during the 2013 campaign because of a dispute about campaign funds. They are no longer even lightweight political players.
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With Cordova Mayor Adi Sitoy also an LP, the situation in Lapu-Lapu City has given LP presidential aspirant Mar Roxas the advantage in Mactan Island. The Lapu-Lapu setup, however, cannot help Gov. Junjun Davide. Like Cebu City, the charter of Lapu-Lapu City has placed it outside the jurisdiction of the Province.
This brings me again to Mandaue City. Governor Davide needs surgical precision in choosing his allies to win and deliver big for Roxas. After all, national elections are primarily local. On this note, he should convince Cong. Luigi Quisumbing to seek reelection. In the process, he keeps Lollipop Ouano within the party.
(@anol_cebu in Twitter)