EDITORIAL - Thank you, mayor

Mayor Tomas Osmeña has called this paper a propaganda machine of its owner and the editor a liar. What Osmeña obviously does not know is that this paper and everyone in it adhere to the unwritten dictum that "if you can dish it out, you should be able to take it in."

So, the mayor has an opinion about us and he is entitled to it. We do not charge him for airing it in our pages. We will, however, continue taking issue with him, as we always have, not out of pique, but as a matter of public interest, as on the SRP and vigilante killings.

The SRP issue is simple. The city of Talisay claims the project encroached on its territory and wants that territory back. It is not claiming the whole of SRP. It only became complicated because of the knee-jerk and childish reaction of Osmeña to it.

But sometimes there is logic to madness. Perhaps Osmeña is deliberately confusing the issue to divert public attention from his own lapses concerning the SRP, especially the monumental failures that now make the loan to finance the SRP a monumental burden to the city.

Osmeña failed to consider the effect economic crises and the threat of terrorism have on the SRP as a location for investors. At a time of consolidation, there is just no expansion to a place that has a number of unflattering advisories to its name issued by foreign governments.

As to vigilante killings, we would not be surprised if taking shortcuts with the law was meant to hasten the projection of Cebu as a safe city. In any case, it has backfired, and the city is not any safer than when there were no summary executions of criminals.

We are not saying Osmeña is involved in these vigilante killings beyond what he cared to admit, which was, and we quote: "I may have inspired them." But he did almost nothing about them either.

The SRP and the vigilante issues are as clear as day. There is no way we can lie about them even if we wanted to, which we don't and never will. We cannot, however, presume to speak for Osmeña.

As far as this paper is concerned, we do not mind Osmeña taking issue with us. Our conscience is as clear as the mandate generations of Cebuanos have given us. In fact we thank the mayor for his comments. They actually help keep us on our toes. Thank you, mayor.