Garma: No mention of Osmeña

CEBU, Philippines — The conflict between Cebu City Police Office Director Royina Garma and Mayor Tomas Osmeña was not discussed during the police official’s meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte last Monday..

Garma, in a phone interview on her way back to Cebu, said that she only went to Manila to help the President find a new aide.

She said that prior to their meeting, Duterte called her looking for another police aide.

She said she went to Manila to introduce Police Inspector Fatima Tejada from PNPA Class 2016.

“Honestly, it has nothing to do with our mayor. Naghanap sya ng aide, sinamahan ko lang yung isa kong personnel. In-introduce ko lang. Yan ang pinaka totoo,” Garma said. (I only introduced to him one of my personnel.  That’s the truth.)

She said her meeting with Duterte was brief since the President still had a meeting with the Cabinet members.

“It was very brief lang kasi meron siyang cabinet meeting. Napadaan lang sa pintoan lang kami. Di naman closed door. Kung ganyan (Osmeña) yung purpose, eh di sana closed door,” she said. (It was not a closed door meeting.  If my purpose was to discuss about Osmeña, it would have been a closed door meeting.)

Garma had said she is not the type who brings up issues to the President and she will not tell unless asked.

She said Duterte did not give any specific directives.

To recall, Osmeña has been revealing information critical to the police. He alleged that police are behind the strafing of barangay captains in the mountain parts of Cebu City who are his allies.

The mayor also released a document last May 5 that indicated Garma was receiving P1 million payola weekly from illegal gambling, which she strongly denied.

The continuous verbal tussle between Garma and Osmeña caught the attention of Sen. Panfilo Lacson who said the police are “dipping their hands on partisan local politics.”

But Garma dismissed it as Lacson’s opinion.

“No comment, hayaan mo na siya (referring to Lacson) kung iyan ang opinion niya.  Everyone meron namang opinion,” she said.  — MBG (FREEMAN)