Cebu First district Rep. Eduardo Gullas has belittled the threat of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña of a lawsuit before the Ombudsman for Gullas’ alleged unlawful action when he intervened to get back the double A accreditation of the Talisay City modern abattoir.
In an official statement, Gullas said he was no longer surprised by Osmeña’s statement and even said that he doubts if Osmeña would indeed make true with his threat for absence of evidence of wrongdoing.
“Make my day,” Gullas said, at the same time challenging the Cebu City mayor to turn his words into actions.
“Let him sue and I will definitely file a counter suit for damages. I should be able to raise a little money from Osmeña’s millions to help the poor in my district,” Gullas said.
Gullas also questioned how Osmeña could issue statements out of the supposed situation of Talisay City when he himself reportedly appears oblivious of the incidents in his own backyard.
“How can he, who, until now professes that he doesn’t have a clue as to who perpetrated the nearly 200 summary executions in Cebu City, pretend that he knows the Talisay abattoir situation better?” Gullas asked.
The other day, Osmeña threatened to sue Gullas and the National Meat Inspection Service for the two-month extension NMIS gave to Talisay City for the latter to comply with the requirements of a double A abattoir.
About 50 percent of meat sold in Cebu City come from Talisay but the city veterinary office had stopped accepting meat from animals butchered in the Talisay abattoir when its conditional permit for double A accreditation expired last May 22.
It can be recalled that Talisay’s accreditation for double A abattoir expired November last year but it was given a conditional permit, which in turn, expired last May 22.
On the same day, however, NMIS extended the conditional permit after Gullas made a phone call to NMIS executive director Jane Bacayo in Manila.
Gullas had clarified that he only intervened after consulting with the NMIS regional officers, including regional director Romeo Capa.
But Dr. Alice Utlang, Cebu City veterinarian, contended that NMIS should not have given the extension considering that the status of Talisay’s abattoir was reportedly downgraded to single A when an evaluation was made before its conditional permit expired on May 22. – Joeberth M. Ocao/MEEV