DOJ to John-john O: Answer allegations of involvement

The Department of Justice has ordered John Gregory "John-john" Osmeña, a former Cebu vice-governor, to appear on April 19 at 2 p.m. before the Office of the Regional State Prosecutor for Region 7 in Cebu City.

Senior state prosecutor Archimedes Manabat, in the one-page subpoena, also ordered Osmeña to answer within 10 days the complaint lodged against him. The subpoena was also signed by state prosecutors Juan Navera and Irwin Maraya.

Osmeña will be made to answer, in a formal preliminary investigation, allegations of his involvement in the importation of 1740 kilos of pseudoephedrine, a substance used in the manufacture of shabu.

The shipment arrived in Cebu from China on March 5, 2004 and was seized by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Customs on March 17, that same year.

PDEA has declared illegal, for lack of special import permit, the pseudoephedrine shipment, the volume of which will produce shabu valued at P3.4 billion in the street market.

The shipment was consigned to Coastside Ventures Incorporated, the incorporators of which were found to be employees of John-John Osmeña.

Documents from the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that the incorporators were Joebert Cuesta, executive assistant of Osmeña, Rorela Villegas and Maria Rowena Roldan who were also working at the vice governor's office at the time.

The shipment was reportedly intended for Australia but used Cebu as the transhipment point.

Reports, after the confiscation of the shipment, stated that Osmeña allegedly tried to mediate for the release of the shipment. - Philippine Star News Service