Tom accuses Pablo John of labelling firm as corrupt in SRP deal
There was no small amount of irony in the P6 billion joint venture between the Capitol and Filinvest Land Inc. as far as Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district is concerned.
The congressman yesterday challenged fellow Cebuano legislator Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu’s 3rd district to apologize to Filinvest for allegedly describing Filinvest as “corrupt” in a privilege speech in Congress two years ago.
Osmeña said Garcia made the comment in a speech questioning Cebu City’s joint venture deal with Filinvest in developing 50 hectares of prime lot in the South Road Properties (SRP).
“Or shall I repeat his speech before Congress to show all the congressmen what the Garcias are really like so they will vote for Gwen?,” Osmeña said in reference to Garcia’s older sister Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s rumored Senate candidacy.
Osmeña issued the challenge after Governor Garcia and Filinvest Land, Inc. held a groundbreaking for the P6 billion business process outsourcing (BPO) center at a province-owned lot in barangay Apas last Saturday.
Capitol and Filinvest officials laid a time capsule during the groundbreaking ceremonies at the 1.2 hectare lot which used to house the former Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center and is situated at Salinas drive near Asiatown IT park.
In text messages sent to Cebu Daily News, Pablo John said he never described Filinvest as corrupt. He challenged Tomas to read his speech again.
“I questioned the deal’s constitutionality and legality, being on reclaimed land, and I questioned whether certain provisions in the deal were advantageous to the city or not,” he said.
Pablo John said if Osmeña wants to raise the issue before Congress he is free to do so.
“I don’t think it will show what the Garcias are like, but what he is like.” he told CDN.
In 2009, Pablo John made a privilege speech in Congress in which he called the Cebu City- Filinvest joint venture agreement a “negotiated sellout of the interests of the people of the City of Cebu.”
Pablo John also said the Taguig City deal with R2 Builders was seven times more advantageous in its sharing scheme compared to Cebu City’s deal with Filinvest Land Inc.
But Osmeña earlier questioned the R2 Builders deal with Taguig City, saying it was more anomalous.
Pablo John said he welcomed Osmeña’s recent tirade against them specifically in reference to next year’s elections.
The congressman is running for governor against former city councilor Hilario Davide III of the Liberal Party.
Pablo John was being groomed to run for governor under the administration One Cebu party.
Both the Cebu LP and One Cebu are courting Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale to be the runningmate of Davide and Garcia, respectively.
“It will prove what I’m trying to tell the people of the Province of Cebu: That the elections in the province is not really about Davide or the LP versus One Cebu. It’s Tommy Osmeña who wants to be governor by proxy,” he said.
Pablo John said Filinvest never asked that he should apologize for making that privilege speech in Congress.
“Why is he demanding an apology for and in behalf of Filinvest? Is he a spokesman for Filinvest?,” he said.
Pablo John said if there’s someone who should apologize to Filinvest it should be Osmeña since the congressman floated the issue anew.
“We’ve said our piece on it, the matter is now before the Ombudsman. It’s Tommy Osmeña who wants to try the matter before the media,” he said. /Carmel Loise Matus, Correspondent