PHILIPPINE Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino said Wednesday, April 4, that Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not included in President Rodrigo Duterte’s list of narco-politicians.
He said at least 87 politicians, including municipal mayors and vice mayors, were reportedly included in Duterte’s list of government officials involved in illegal drug trade, but Osmeña is not among those.
"He is not included in the narcolist," he said.
Justice Vitaliano Aguirre III said earlier that Osmeña was named by a drug surrenderer as among those who received payola from Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz, the alleged number 1 drug lord in Central Visayas.
Aguirre was referring to the sworn affidavit of Diaz’s cousin, Reynaldo “Jumbo” Diaz, the one who allegedly took over the latter’s drug syndicate in Cebu province after Jaguar was killed in an anti-drug police operations in Las Pinas on June 2016.
The Justice secretary said that according to Reynaldo, Osmeña received P2 million for hospitalization expenses in 2013 and another P5 million intended for the 2016 elections.
Aguirre made the revelation after Osmena threatened to file a disbarment case against him for lawyering the SM Prime Holdings and Banco de Oro against the tax evasion case file against them by the Cebu City Government.
Osmeña admitted though that Diaz tried to bribe him for the protection of his illegal drugs activities, but added that he turned it down.
"One of my urban poor leaders came to me and said Jaguar wants to give me money. I don't know how much because I didn't ask...I'm not interested, so I don't know — P7 million, P5 million, P2 million, I don't know. I just said no," said Osmena.
"That's not even worth discussing, that's why I don't even know the amount," he added.
On Tuesday, April 3, Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa also denied receiving any report pertaining to Osmeña’s alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade. (SunStar Philippines)