Tomas on libel threat: Mike, file that ‘plaint

CEBU, Philippines - First the drug test challenge, followed by the polygraph test challenge. Now, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña challenged his political rival, former mayor Michael Rama, to file a libel complaint against him.

This was after Rama said he would file the complaint against Osmeña for keeping on tagging him as a drug protector and for telling reporters the other day that he (Rama) receiving drug money from alleged drug lord Jeffrey "Jaguar" Diaz, who was killed this year.

"So let him file (a libel complaint).  Maybe the reason why he wants to file because I would no longer talk about this. But the people have to know because it's our city," Osmeña said.

He said a source told him about the P10 million, but he preferred not to expose the person to the public.

The mayor instead cited instances that would serve as "proof" that Rama was allegedly protecting drug lords during his term as mayor before Osmeña toppled him in the elections last May.

Osmeña said Rama administered the oath taking of Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa under the United Nation Alliance camp.

He also said that detained Kerwin Espinosa, the late mayor's son, had admitted that he distributed drugs in five barangays in the city such as Pasil, Duljo-Fatima, Ermita, Suba and Lorega-San Miguel, which are Team Rama territories

"Kerwin himself said in the series of investigation that he delivered drugs to all these Mike Rama barangays. What more do you want?" Osmeña said.

Osmeña said that after Rama would file a suit case against him, a lie detector test is expected to happen next.

Meanwhile, in a telephone interview, Rama said he would really push through with the filing of the libel case against Osmeña if the mayor really said that he (Rama) was receiving money from Diaz.

"That is absolutely not true and has become absurd. Precisely he deserves a libel case filed by me against him, if he said that I am receiving (money from Diaz)," he told The FREEMAN.

He said he could not divulge the date when he would file the complaint as he has yet to discuss the matter with his lawyers.

As to his declaration that he would undergo a lie detector test after the filing of the complaint, he said he sees no problem with it.

"Wa gyud nay problema, I've never been afraid of a lie detector test, especially now. Before, I never said I will not, I was just telling 'what for?'" Rama said, adding that at that time he was trying to get an audience with the president after he was included in the list of drug protectors.

"Will it brings a statement that Mike Rama is not a drug protector…?  That's why at that time I found it unnecessary," the former mayor said. (FREEMAN)