Osmeña quits

CEBU CITY - Vice Mayor Renato Osmeña made good his word to quit as overall chairman of the Sinulog Foundation - a post he occupied for 13 years - if media magnified allegations that he kicked a seven-year-old boy during the Sinulog celebration.

Osmeña said he decided to quit out of frustration with the way media lambasted him for an act he said he did not commit.

The vice mayor was accused of kicking Fred Leonard Medalle during the mardi gras to clear the path for the floats.

Osmeña will not face any investigation yet for the alleged incident. The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas said it will be selective in initiating inquiries into alleged illegal and improper acts of government officials as reported by newspapers.

In resigning from the Sinulog Foundation, Osmeña said, "I decided to quit because I was so frustrated that I was criticized for something that I did not actually do."

"What happened really hurt me. I know I am not perfect but to be criticized by media that way is so painful," he said.

According to Osmeña, he only "shoved" the bag the child was holding to make way for the floats to pass.

"I could never kick a seven-year-old boy. Maybe I could kick a grown-up but not a child," he said.

Osmeña called on ABS-CBN reporters to come out in the open and support his version of the incident. He said the reporters saw him shove the bag, not kick the boy, as alleged.

The vice mayor said he was hurt by media's treatment of the issue, claiming the reports will surely leave a bad impression of him before the public.

"Good for those who know me because they know that I cannot do that. But what about those who don't? Can you imagine me kicking a young boy?" he said.