Tommy O returns to City Hall Monday

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor on-leave Tomas Osmeña will finally be back to work on Monday, after taking almost two months of leave of absence.

During the first days of his coming back to office, the mayor is expected to entertain some possible investors for the South Road Properties and also to attend to other major concerns of the city.

When Osmeña filed a leave of absence for a month, that was later extended for another month, which is scheduled to lapse on October 31, his political enemies believed it was because of his health condition or he wanted campaign in advance in the south district where he is expected to run for congressman in next year’s elections.

But he quickly explained the main reason his filing for two months leave of absence is to “cool down” the issue involving his 24-year-old son Miguel.

Miguel was earlier accused by Samantha Elise Benitez, the lady friend of his girlfriend Bea Villegas, as the one who shoot and destroyed her camera and hanged it at the gate of her house. Benitez had also accused Miguel of sending a threatening text message to her.

The mayor’s son reportedly got mad on Samantha when she left Bea at a resto bar on Pelaez St., after the latter got drunk.

Osmeña explained he was so afraid that his political and personal enemies would take advantage of the situation and to blame him or Miguel on whatever will happen to Samantha.

The mayor said he knows that his political and personal enemies can afford so much to hire for an attacker and pay them even half million pesos just to put the blame on him. When this happens, he said charges would be filed against Miguel for the crime he did not committed and when he gets convicted, his mother, Margot, will cry in public and his political supporters may possibly retaliate for them.

Some of Osmena’s die-hard supporters in Barangay Guadalupe, where the Osmeña family is living, said the mayor was right when he went on leave to have the issue involving Miguel to cool down. —Rene U. Borromeo/WAB (THE FREEMAN)