Cebu mayor, lawyer exchange fist blows

CEBU — Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano and opposition lawyer Omar Redulla traded blows the other day over a monstrous traffic jam caused by the dry-run for yesterday’s rerouting in connection with Mandaue’s 33rd Charter Day and Mantawi Festival.

Both men admitted trading blows but as to who initiated the fight remains unclear.

Ouano said he got hit by a punch on the cheek.

Redulla, son of former Philippine News Agency Cebu bureau chief Henry Redulla and identified with anti-Ouano forces in Mandaue City, suffered a slightly swollen cheek. His glasses were broken.

Ouano said he was on A. Soriano street in Barangay Centro near the Mandaue City Sports Complex overseeing the rerouting dry-run when he saw Redulla loudly complaining about the traffic jam and dressing down police and traffic enforcers.

"Apparently referred to me by the police and (traffic) enforcers, Redulla came up to me and told me loudly that this was what he got because of my Mantawi Festival," Ouano said.

He added: "Seeing that he was fuming, I tapped him on the shoulder and told him to relax and take it easy because this was just a dry run. He asked why I tapped him on the shoulder but before I could answer, he threw a punch that hit me in the face."

Ouano said he did not know what happened afterwards because a lot of people rushed up.

Redulla admitted that he had loudly complained to the police and traffic enforcers about the traffic jam but was referred to Ouano who was sitting in a police car.

According to Redulla, he approached Ouano who, he said, angrily told him not to raise his voice.

"No sooner had he finished telling that to me when he hit me on the shoulder. It was not a tap. It was meant to hurt. So I hit him back on the shoulder. Ouano then hit me back again this time with both hands," Redulla said.

After that, Redulla said he was ganged up on by the mayor’s three bodyguards.

He said he also did not know what happened after that because he had lost his glasses.

Redulla had the incident entered in the police blotter, charging Ouano with physical injuries.

He, however, said filing charges against Ouano will be a last resort, and that all he wanted was to talk things over.

But Ouano said there is nothing to talk about and that he is planning to file charges for direct assault against Redulla.

He said he will subject himself to a medical exam and also have the incident entered in the police blotter. — Freeman News Service