Tom welcomes lifestyle check

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City South district Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña welcomed the move of self-styled whistleblower Crisologo Saavedra to have all the congressmen in Cebu subjected to a lifestyle check by the anti-graft investigators.

“Okay lang, there’s no problem,” Osmeña said, saying he is not hiding anything and has never committed graft and corruption in his 15 years as mayor of Cebu City.

Saavedra had already requested the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas to conduct a lifestyle check on Cebu third district Rep. Pablo John Garcia, the brother of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, but said he will also ask the anti-graft body to do it on other congressmen in Cebu.

Saavedra said be believes that the governor’s brother owns some questionable properties which are not proportional to his salary as a congressman, but Garcia just laughed this off and said he is not afraid of any lifestyle check.

Saavedra said Garcia owns a mansion built beside Guadalupe Heights Subdivision in Cebu City and paid P7 million to a homeowners’ association to use the right of way for life. He also allegedly owns a fishpond in Toledo City.

He also said the governor’s brother also owns the Blue Ocean Restaurant and Bar in Barangay Lahug in Cebu City and has more or less five expensive cars, one of them a black Hummer.

Osmeña just rents a house in Barangay Guadalupe although in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Networth that he filed before the Ombudsman, the former city mayor also admitted he has millions of pesos worth of assets.

In 2009 Osmeña’s net assets was already worth more than P3.5 million, but that was before his wife, Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, was elected councilor of the Cebu City’s south district last May 10, 2010. (FREEMAN)