Ex-Cebu Mayor Osmeña told: ‘Don’t touch Duterte’s women’

MANILA, Philippines — Immediately after complaining about the appointment of then police colonel Royina Garma as Cebu City police chief, then mayor Tomas Osmeña received a terse warning: “Don’t touch the president’s women.”

According to the former mayor, he received the warning after he personally complained to then president Rodrigo Duterte at Malacañang in 2018 about Garma’s appointment.

Osmeña did not say how he received the warning.

He bared the warning he received from a source, whose identity he declined to reveal, during an interview with “Storycon” on One News yesterday, during which he also indicated that Garma was so influential in the previous administration that Duterte was practically “eating out of her hand.”

“When she was going to be appointed to Cebu City as chief of police, of course I have a natural interest. Somebody gave me a report from a PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office) official that stated that when Garma was CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) chief in Bohol, she was suspected of collecting P1 million a week from illegal gambling,” Osmeña recalled.

“That’s why I didn’t want to accept her, because of course, I just want to protect the people of Cebu,” he added.

Despite the mayor’s opposition, Garma still assumed the post, prompting Osmeña to reach out to Duterte.

“President Duterte told me, ‘why don’t you just tell Bong Go … everything, and we’ll look into it.’ I prepared documentation for Bong Go and of course nothing happened,” said the former mayor.

“And then somebody told me, ‘don’t touch the president’s women.’ I said, ‘what?’” he added.

Go, now a senator, was then special assistant to the president.

Osmeña declined to identify the person who gave him the warning. But he said it was the same person who tipped him off that Garma would be appointed as general manager of PCSO.

In June 2019, Garma – who then still had 10 years left before her retirement from the service – opted for early retirement. Duterte gave her the plum post at the PCSO a few days later.

A month earlier, Osmeña lost his reelection bid to then vice mayor Edgardo Labella, who ran under Duterte’s political party, PDP-Laban.

Worse than Napoles

Osmeña, who locked horns with Garma during her stint as Cebu City police chief, described her as “worse than Napoles,” referring to Janet Lim Napoles who is serving sentence for illegally amassing billions from government contracts.

“She’s dangerous, don’t let her tears deceive you,” he said of Garma. “Many of my people have been hurt, tortured and killed. Not only my people, but the Cebuanos at large.”

Without elaborating, Osmeña said he is ready to answer more questions in the next quad committee hearing at the House of Representatives.

He also vowed to submit additional documents to the quad committee, comprising four committees investigating various policies of the Duterte administration, including the deadly war on drugs and the proliferation of Philippine offshore gaming operators.

During her appearance at the committee hearing on Sept. 12, Garma was reduced to tears while being grilled regarding her relationship with Duterte. She was ordered detained supposedly for “evading” questions.

She did not attend the hearing last Sept. 19 as she was reportedly suffering from neck and ear pain. Osmeña testified at the hearing and bared details of the “payola” allegations against Garma.

KOJC women as ‘gifts’

The Philippine National Police (PNP), meanwhile, said it is investigating reports Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy gifted Duterte and other officials with women from his congregation.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said they are looking into the revelation of former KOJC worker Arlene Stone that Quiboloy offered women who were members of his “pastoral” or inner circle to people close to him, including Duterte.

Stone is now the spokesperson for former KOJC members residing in the United States.

Asked if Duterte and other officials who received women as gifts from Quiboloy could be held liable, Fajardo said investigators should coordinate first with the alleged victims and secure from them sworn statements for purposes of filing more criminal cases against Quiboloy and other personalities.

Fajardo said the allegation, if proven true, is serious as this would fall under qualified human trafficking which is a non-bailable offense.

“We are now in the process of documenting all these allegations and revelations and we’re ready to file cases against anyone who may have violated the law, regardless of whoever he is,” Fajardo said at a briefing in Camp Crame.

Asked if there is already a move to reach out to Duterte, Fajardo said she has no information from their people on the ground.

“All our efforts right now will depend on information coming from victims,” she said.

Quiboloy, a self-styled preacher who calls himself the “appointed son of God,” is detained at the Camp Crame custodial center on charges of qualified human trafficking and child abuse filed before the Pasig City and Quezon City courts.

In a text message to reporters, the office of Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Senate committee on women, children and family affairs, is preparing public hearings on the alleged sexual abuse cases against Quiboloy. The date of the hearing has yet to be determined.

Hontiveros earlier told Quiboloy that he could not outrun the law after he was taken into police custody on Sept. 8.

“You will be held responsible, Apollo Quiboloy. You cannot outrun the law. You will not further delay justice,” Hontiveros said, addressing Quiboloy after his arrest at the KOJC compound in Davao City.

“Justice is within reach of the victim-survivors, thanks to their courage to tell the truth,” she added. — Cecille Suerte Felipe, Emmanuel Tupas