THE Cebu City Council wants Mayor Tomas Osmeña to shed light on his supposed link with Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz, an alleged top drug lord who died in a police operation last month.
This, after he revealed he was offered money by Jaguar’s camp to fuel his candidacy in the May 9 elections.
In a privilege speech during the council’s regular session yesterday, Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. said his interest was piqued by Osmeña’s admission.
“Ang iyang pag-angkon maoy pagpamatuod nga suod nga managhigala sila si Mayor Osmeña ug si Jaguar (His admission is proof of their close friendship),” he said.
Alcover went on to question why Osmeña and the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) said it was former mayor Michael Rama who had links with Jaguar when it was him who had been offered support.
The councilor dared the mayor to answer several questions to complete the story over his admission of Jaguar’s offer.
Offered
He said he wants to know why Jaguar offered him money and why Osmeña admitted it only when the alleged drug lord was already dead. He also asked how much Jaguar offered him.
Alcover also wants to know who told him about the offer.
“Isip responsible sa kagawasan ug mahigugmaong lungsoranon sa Cebu City, dako ang tinguha niining representasyon nga mahatagan og higayon si City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, pinaagi sa usa ka resolusyon, nga iyang tubagon ponto por ponto ang tanang isyu ug pangutana nga gitandog dinhi sa akong privilege speech nga usab gihambin karon sa atong mga igsuong Sugboanaon (Osmeña should answer the issues raised point by point),” he said.
Sought for comment, Osmeña said he will not put his contact at risk for Alcover’s sake.
“He is not worth it. I did not ask for any amount because I don’t care. No amount was mentioned,” he said in a text message.
Aside from raising the issue on Jaguar, Alcover asked why Osmeña is questioning the replacement of Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Patrocinio Comendador Jr. last week.
“Ang kahibulongan nganong nitiyabaw man nga morag bata nga gikuhaan sa duwaan nga dili iyaha ang mayor sa dakbayan sa Sugbo (Why did he cry like a baby?),” he said.
He asked why the mayor threatened to stop the City Government’s campaign against illegal drugs if Cebu City Police Office chief Senior Supt. Benjamin Santos will be replaced. Santos, he said, was the comptroller when Garbo was still the director of PRO 7.
The councilor also asked where Osmeña got the P250,000 he gave as a reward to the police who killed or injured drug pushers or drug lords and the money he used to bail out SPO1 Adonis Dumpit from Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog City.
During the discussion, Councilor Sisinio Andales asked why Alcover seems to be insinuating that Osmeña is a drug protector and questioned if he really has personal knowledge about it.
Alcover answered that he is only raising a question.
Alcover had his privilege speech yesterday noted and he moved that copies of it be furnished to the Department of Interior and Local Government and to the Office of the President.