By Calvin Cordova
CEBU CITY – Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña shrugged off the accusation of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III that he is a protector of drug lords.
Osmeña said he was not bothered by Aguirre’s allegations and instead challenged the Justice Secretary to file charges against him.
“I am not worried about Aguirre filing a case against me. Go ahead, file charges instead of just announcing it. He is entitled to make a fool out of himself,” Osmeña said in his regular press briefing yesterday at the City Hall.
Aguirre has threatened to file charges against Osmeña after the cousin of a slain drug lord executed an affidavit, accusing the mayor of being in a payroll of drug lords.
According to Aguirre, Reynaldo “Jumbo” Diaz said in his affidavit that Osmeña got P2 million in 2013 and another R5 million in 2016 from slain suspected drug lord Jeffrey “Jaguar” Diaz.
Jeffrey was killed in an alleged shootout with Cebu City-based policemen in Las Piñas last June 17, 2016.
Osmeña, however, accused Aguirre of forcing Reynaldo to sign the affidavit to pin him down.
“His (Reynaldo) neck is on the line. This kind of a case won’t stand scrutiny in court,” said Osmeña.
Osmeña said he had not met the Diaz cousins and doesn’t know them personally.
Osmeña instead pointed to political rival, former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, as the one who benefited from Jeffrey.
Osmeña said Jeffrey offered to give him money to support his campaign in the last elections but turned it down.
Rama denied the allegations and asked Osmeña to just face the issues against him.