Council mulls libel case vs. Lastimosa

The Cebu City Council is contemplating filing a libel case against dyAB commentator and The Freeman columnist Leo Lastimosa for his "malicious insinuations" that some of its members benefited from the city's transaction with Colonie Enterprises for the purchase of the P1.5 million worth of chemicals used in the anti-dengue drive.

But before finally deciding to take legal action, the council wants first to hear Lastimosa's side on the matter.

The council tasked Councilor Gerardo Carillo to get a copy of the recording of Lastimosa's radio program "Arangkada" in which he allegedly made his comments against the council.

During the program, City Health Department chief Dr. Fe Cabugao, who was interviewed by Lastimosa, reportedly denied signing the purchase request of the mist spraying chemical, which cast doubts on the legality of the deal because it would appear that the council needed to declare the city under a state of calamity in order to seal a transaction with "favored supplier" Colonie.

However, in yesterday's executive session, Cabugao denied her denial over the radio, but her ambiguous answers to the follow-up questions of the council resulted to a verbal tussle between her and Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera.

Basing on the statement of Department of Health National Epidemiology Center director Enrique Tayag that fogging or spraying should be the last resort in the anti-dengue drive, Pesquera questioned Cabugao why she signed the purchase request for Aqua-Resigen, the chemical used in the spraying activity. - Cristina C. Birondo