Osmeña: President Duterte will hear about the police being used for politics

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has challenged Cebu City Police Director, Police Colonel Royina Garma, to solve in 10 days the strafing of  the house of Sudlon II Barangay Captain Prescillo Albores. | Delta Dyrecka Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said that he would report the recent events of the strafing of barangay chiefs home to President Rodrigo Duterte and the possible involvement of the police in the case.

Osmeña, in an interview with the press at the recently attacked house of Sudlon II Barangay Captain Prescillo Albores, said that he had known the President for 30 years and knew that the President would never condone the police being involved in politics.

“I have always respected President Duterte. He is tough with crime. Never in the 30 years I’ve known him did he use the police for politics,” said Osmeña.

Read more: Homes of two village chiefs peppered with bullets 

“But this is what is happening here in Cebu. It is very clear that the police are being used for politics,” he added.

Read more: Osmeña gives 10 days for CCPO to solve strafing of barangay chiefs’ homes

Osmeña, in earlier statements, said that he had given 10 days for the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) to solve the case of the strafing of the homes of two barangay chiefs, all belonging to Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK), in Barangays Sinsin and Sudlon II.

He was referring to Sinsin Barangay Captain Aurelio Ascuña and Sudlon II Barangay Captain Prescillo Albores, whose houses were strafed at about the same time on Thursday, April 4.

If the CCPO would not be able to solve the case, Osmeña said he would accuse them (police) of perpetrating the crime.

He also said that he would place a monetary reward of P100,000 to anyone, who could solve the crime.

The mayor claimed that the police had been used for political means after he received reports that some habal-habal drivers caught for traffic violations by the police were asked to allegedly get a campaign sticker from the opposing party so they could allegedly get off from the violation.

Read more: Garma on Osmeña’s 10-day deadline: It’s childish way of solving something

Osmeña also discussed once again the deaths of two tanods and a tanod’s wife in Barangay Lusaran on February 22, in which Osmeña claimed that the police allegedly killed mercilessly.

“They were  surrendering, and he was executed by the police. That’s what one of the son (of the tanod) said. The son is with me, he is a witness. The witness is with me,” he said.

Read more: Lusaran shootout: Two tanods, tanod’s wife killed; cop wounded; loose guns seized

With this, Osmeña said that he already raised the concern to the President the last time they talked.

“I already mentioned it to him. I said I’ll provide him information. We are now documenting this,” he said.

Read more: Families of slain Lusaran tanods cry for justice

“I told the President, I have known him for the longest time. If you’re a rapist, you are dead. If you do drugs, you are dead. But politics, no,” he added.

This is the first time that Osmeña acknowledged some kind of communication between him and the President, who in his speeches in 2018 threatened to slap the mayor for accusing him of allegedly being a “drug protector.”

Osmeña revealed that he and the President had been talking recently although he would not reveal when they began talking.

The mayor said he believed that the President could see the “real political situation” in Cebu and would find a solution for it./dbs