Margot defends Tom: He is working

CEBU, Philippines — Although Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has not held media conferences for almost three weeks now, his wife, Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, has assured he has been doing his job as a local chief executive.

Margot made the statement after broadcaster-columnist Bobby Nalzaro wrote his “Where is the mayor?” column in yesterday’s issue of SunStar Cebu.

“Do we have a mayor in Cebu City? If we have, where is he? Is he out of the country or on leave? I ask these questions because we haven’t heard from him the last few months after he got a tongue-lashing from President Rodrigo Duterte. He has been silent on the latest happenings in the city. He cancelled his daily press conferences,” read portion of Nalzaro’s column.

The mayor has not held press conference since August 22, even before he was the subject of the tongue-lashing of Duterte on August 30. The president slammed the mayor for playing untouchable, for allegedly telling the national government to “leave Cebu alone,” and for reportedly accusing him of protecting drug lords.

Nalzaro said the mayor “mysteriously” disappeared from the media after the August 30 incident.

“While everybody is talking about the deteriorating peace and order situation in the city, especially the killing of call center agent Loraine Temple, who was a victim of robbery, and the alleged summary execution of five persons in Barangay Malubog, the “former political has-been” is silent. Why?” the column further read.

“He once claimed to be “father of the city” and that his primordial duty is to protect the Cebuanos from criminals and strengthen the city’s peace and order situation. But where is he now when the Cebuanos need him most in view of the city’s deteriorating peace and order situation?” it added.

In response, Margot said the mayor is just around, working.

“He’s here. That’s only one asking that, that’s Bobby Nalzaro. You tell him. Why? He misses him? He’s around. You know that. He was in the bukid kanina (yesterday morning),” she said.

Margot said she has no idea as to when the mayor will hold anew a press conference.

“It’s not all of a sudden. You know that. He already said that even before that incident, he already said that. You, as a media are witnesses of that. He said he would no longer have press conferences. Remember? He even gave a deadline of September 9 which he decided to extend. Remember that?” she said.

It was on August 29 when the mayor announced that he will no longer hold press conferences until September 9, which was the schedule for the administration’s thanksgiving Mass.

“I think he just finds the arrangement now maybe he’s contented with the arrangement that’s being done now. There’s no problem with you. I think he has told you that, the City Hall beat reporters because you know him. It’s how it’s interpreted after. So, it’s best as of now to check his Facebook because that’s copy paste. That’s exactly what he means to say and it’s not taken out of context,” Margot said.

On September 16, Duterte slammed Osmeña anew for taking custody of three men the city police arrested for illegally refilling butane canisters with liquefied petroleum gas.

He criticized Osmeña during a briefing in Laoag, Ilocos Norte Sunday night – even calling the mayor “crazy.”

Margot said she still believes that the president has been misinformed on the city matters.

She said everything will be settled in due time.

“First of all, the president has so many other concerns, maybe more important than Tomas Osmeña. Meanwhile, both of them are doing what they’re supposed to do,” she said.  — KBQ (FREEMAN)