FIRST, it was former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama who allegedly protected drug lords.
Now, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II is saying that Rama’s successor, Tomas Osmeña, is also a drug protector.
The affidavit on which Aguirre based his statement was executed in November 2016 by Reynaldo “Jumbo” Diaz, cousin and alleged bagman of slain drug lord Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz. Jaguar was gunned down in June of that year.
The affidavit listed Osmeña among Cebu officials who allegedly received payola from their drug syndicate.
Based on the affidavit dated Nov. 23, 2016, the mayor was supposed to have received a total of P7 million: P2 million for hospitalization expenses in 2013 and P5 million during the 2016 elections.
Aguirre, in a text message yesterday, said he authorized the release of Diaz’s statement to encourage other witnesses to come forward and corroborate the information.
Asked why the information was released only after more than a year, Aguirre said they were still “in the process of building up the case.”
Others listed in the payola are retired police general Vicente Loot, now mayor of Daanbantayan town, and four police officers, whom Aguirre did not name. Loot has denied any involvement in illegal drugs.
Diaz, who was arrested in Sorsogon in Bicol region in September 2016, is under the DOJ witness protection program.
“I authorized the release of his (Diaz’s) statement upon request of the Task Force Commander Against Illegal Drugs of the NBI to encourage individuals possessing additional knowledge or information to come forward and corroborate the same,” Aguirre said.
At the time of his arrest, Diaz said he knew about several policemen who were on his cousin’s payroll. There was no mention about Osmeña being on the list as well.
Diaz was No. 2 on the list of Top 10 high-value targets of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, next to Franz Sabalones who had surrendered.
Diaz was supposed to have taken over his cousin Jeffrey’s illegal drug network, after Jeffrey’s death in a shootout with police in Las Piñas City in Metro Manila in June 2016. Diaz denied this.
Meanwhile, Osmeña dared Aguirre to prove his allegations.
“Go ahead. Why, was I the one who released Peter Lim? Ako nahimong drug protector? Go ahead,” the mayor said.
Osmeña said he is aware that he has been investigated, and even tagged himself as the “most investigated mayor.”
“Is that the way you defend yourself? Don’t mislead the public,” he said.
He said that Aguirre implicated him in the illegal drug trade to cover up the latter’s giving favors to big-time businessmen.
“Because na-bisto sya (he was caught),” Osmeña said.
The mayor had said he planned to file a disbarment case against Aguirre for allegedly meddling in the case the City Government filed against two commercial giants. Osmeña said Aguirre seems to be acting as their lawyer.
But on this latest development, Osmeña said he will not file a case against Aguirre, adding that people can accuse him of anything because he is a public official.
He also said that he is confident that the allegations against him are baseless.
In a Facebook post, Rama said he sympathizes with Osmeña.
“It is not easy to be accused of something like that because it not only affects him but his family, the same way it did for me and my family. I hope he will be given his right to due process and to face his accusers. This was something I never had the chance to do--to address a blatant and false accusation in the proper forum,” Rama said.
In 2016, President Rodrigo Durtete tagged Rama as among the alleged narco-politicians.
Last Friday, Rama finally had a chance to talk to the President after he was named as among those former politicians who protected drug lords in 2016.
The PRO 7, for its part, will await directives from the national headquarters regarding Aguirre’s revelation.
Supt. Reyman Tolentin, PRO 7 spokesperson, said they have not yet received orders.
“Considering that it involves a national figure but a localized issue addressed to the mayor of Cebu City, we will have to wait for the guidance of our regional director,” Tolentin said. (With Marites V. Ilano, SunStar Philippines)