Tomas angry with nephew over Kawit vote

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday denied reports he shouted at City Councilor Renato “Junjun” Osmeña inside a hotel where President Duterte met with local chief executives for a private dinner on Saturday.

But the mayor admitted he was angry with his nephew for voting against the measure that would have paved the way for the P18-billion development of the Kawit property at the South Road Properties.

“He’s an embarrassment, not only to the Osmeña family, but also to city government. He is making a fool out of himself… As far as I am concerned, he is full of sh*t. You don’t behave that way. You make a recommendation and you’ll vote against the recommendation?” Osmeña said.

In March, Renato headed the ad hoc committee that scrutinized the proposed Kawit development project that was eventually disapproved by the City Council.

Renato became a councilor as replacement of former councilor Nendell Hanz Abella last year, who was appointed as commissioner of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) seventh division. He is affiliated with the opposition bloc Barug Team Rama-PDP Laban.

Yesterday, Osmeña said he was dismayed by Renato’s vote because the development would have offered job opportunities to 5,000 Cebuanos.

“Now the people know why. I’ve lost all respect for him and its hurts Cebu. He doesn’t care, it’s all about politics,” Osmeña said.

In a separate interview, Renato insisted he was telling the truth – the mayor really shouted at him.

He challenged his uncle to a lie detector test to prove who is lying.

“He can deny all he wants but I wouldn’t have reacted in that manner had he not put me in an awkward situation…shouting in a loud voice. What do you think I would gain out of all this if this wasn’t what really happened?” Renato said.

While stressing that he has full respect to his uncle, Renato maintained he did not deserve to be treated that away.

When asked for his comment on the mayor’s statement that Renato was a shame to the Osmeñas, the latter said: “He should look in the mirror before he opens his mouth. I did what I did with a clear conscience and I’m so happy I did it.”

Renato clarified that his fellow allies in the opposition were in favor of the Kawit development only if the agreement would be advantageous to the city.

He said the proposed 90-10 profit sharing would be unfavorable to the city because the city’s share would depend on the project’s market performance.

What’s worse, he said, is that the 10 percent share of the city will only commence on the ninth year after the contract is signed.

According to him, he met the mayor in an elevator on Saturday night so he greeted him. He was taken aback, though, at how the mayor responded.

“I greeted him, ‘Good evening,’ and he said, ‘Get out!’ A very, very loud voice. O, ana ko, ngano imoha man kong pagawson, dili man ni imoha ang hotel? Ngano nisiyagit man ka?” said Renato.

Renato was among the guests invited to the presidential dinner at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu City last Saturday.

Mayor Osmeña, on the other hand, joined three other Cebu mayors, including Daanbantayan Mayor Vicente Loot and Ronda Mayor Mariano Blanco, who did not receive an invitation to the gathering.

Osmeña clarified at a press conference that he went there to meet a colleague, not because he wanted to join the dinner meeting with the president.

He said it was okay with him not to be invited but he said it was an insult to the city.

“Me, I don’t care. I’m used to these people. They insult me everyday. But now, they should realize that they are just exposing themselves. It’s all about them. They don’t care about the city, they don’t care about the province,” Osmeña said.

The FREEMAN learned that it was the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, led by Michael Lloyd Dino, one of Osmeña’s critics, that took charge of the guest list. —/JMD (FREEMAN)