COUNCILOR Margot Osmeña has admitted that she and Mayor Tomas Osmeña met with House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Sept. 4 as alleged by Councilor Raymond Garcia.
“Of course I will not deny, that would be lying. So, what’s his problem with that?” Margot said.
Garcia said that a ‘very reliable’ source informed him that the mayor, Margot, and their son Miguel asked for an audience with Speaker Arroyo at the Batasang Pambansa.
“Magpatabang daw silag bridge ngadto kang President Duterte. (They went to ask the speaker to mediate between them and President Duterte),” Garcia said.
Margot says she is not concerned about Garcia’s claims since she does not find any problem with the Mayor seeing the House Speaker.
“I am amazed to what he knows. He seems to know everything,” said Margot.
In spite of the admission, Margot would not reveal what they have talked about.
Margot added that the meeting was scheduled as it is difficult to seek an audience with the House Speaker who is a busy official.
On August 30, President Duterte lashed out at Osmeña during the charter day celebration of Mandaue City.
Duterte criticized Osmeña and called him a ‘hubris’ or a man of exaggerated confidence.
“Kung manulti murag kinsa. Ayaw hilabti ang Cebu kay kaya namo ni (Who talked in such a high handed manner. Don’t meddle with Cebu because we can take care of ourselves). Who are you to say that? As if you own Cebu? By what right? Just because you were the former president’s son or grandson?” the President said during his speech.
Osmeña replied to the President’s tirades on his Facebook page saying that the President should not only listen to one side.
“The President is entitled to say whatever he wants. As a lawyer, I am sure that he knows that there are two sides to any story, and not just what Dino, Rama, and PRO-7 are telling him,” the mayor wrote in a post.
Osmeña also said that he will continue do his job as he was elected by the Cebuanos to whom he is obligated to serve.