Atan, Rory John dare Tomas to explain "lavish lifestyle"

CEBU, Philippines - Opposition stalwart Jonathan Guardo yesterday fired another bombshell against Mayor Tomas Osmeña by daring the latter to reveal where he got the money for the tuition fees of his only son who is studying in an expensive school in the United States and for his house rentals as the mayor is only earning P30,000 a month.

“Every time the mayor’s lifestyle is questioned in light of the fact that his only source of income is his P30,000 monthly salary, he starts holding the skirt of her sister Minnie,” Guardo said.

Guardo was referring to the mayor’s statement that his hospital bills at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas when he was treated for cancer was shouldered by his US$5 million insurance that Minnie had secured for him.

Guardo said the public may want to know if his sister Minnie is also the one paying for Miguel Osmena’s college education at the University of California Los Angeles.

Guardo believed that Miguel’s tuition fees every year at UCLA could be no less than US$20,000 or P940,000, while Osmeña’s one-year salary as mayor is only about P400,000.

He added that Osmeña is also living in a house in Barangay Guadalupe that he is renting at not less than P25,000 to P50,000 a month, aside from owning expensive vehicles that Miguel use every time he goes home from the U.S.

“My fear is despite some great challenges in his life he is willing to take a big risk since he has made SRP as his personal enterprise,” Guardo added.

For his part, Osmeña did not give a categorical answer to the questions of Guardo. “Why does Guardo keep changing the subject? He doesn’t want the public to know that perhaps his one foot is in jail?”

“He is welcome to ask anything he wants. My only suggestion to him is to ask that the hearing of his case be transferred from Manila to Cebu so he can show to the Cebuanos how innocent he is. In the meantime, I can prepare a nice room for him at the city jail,” Osmeña said.

 At the Capitol, Rory Jon Sepulveda, consultant on information and revenue generation, challenged Osmeña to name his “friends” who allegedly paid for his trips abroad.

 “Sultii ang lungsod kung kinsa ning mga amigoha. Kung di siya kasulti, aw lain na na. Kana na ng mga amigo nimo nga kuyugan nimo adto og Camiguin, kanang nakig-swap mo’g yuta…” Sepulveda said in yesterday’s news conference.

 Sepulveda has also called on the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas “to take a look” on Osmeña’s admission that his trips abroad were paid by friends. —Rene U. Borromeo and Liv G. Campo/WAB (THE FREEMAN)