Former mayor tagged source of threats by radioman

DIGOS CITY—A broadcaster here has claimed that former Mayor Arsenio Latasa was out to get him to stop him from exposing the official’s alleged corrupt practices in his daily radio program.

Arvin Malaza, known for his radio name Jun Blanco over Muews Radio and K37 TV, accused Latasa, also former vice governor, of enriching himself while in office as city mayor.

He did not present any document except to say that Latasa owns a mansion and an Olympic-size swimming pool here.

“If something happens to me, you know who to blame,” said Malaza in his program “Isumbong Kang Jun Blanco” early this week.

Latasa, who belongs to a landed clan here, said he has no intention of harming Malaza for his “unfounded accusations.”

He said the best he could do is sue for libel and that his lawyer, former Davao del Sur Provincial Prosecutor Artemio Tajon, is already preparing the charges.

“I have been a government official for 18 years as mayor and vice governor but I have never been charged with murdering somebody. That is not my meat. I am a lawyer and I believe in the legal system,” Latasa said yesterday.

As to allegations of wrongdoing while still mayor of this city until 2007, Latasa said he did not face a real case for corruption, except for what he said was a trumped up case that former Davao del Sur Gov. Douglas Cagas filed in the past.

The case was eventually dismissed by the Ombudsman for lack of probable cause.

“If I pocketed government money, I would have been charged with, and convicted of corruption already,” he said.

Latasa said he suspects that Malaza allowed himself to be used by some politicians, who wanted to derail his plan to run as candidate for Davao del Sur governor.

“They might have heard I’m running for governor and they wanted to destroy me this early,” he said. Eldie Aguirre, Inquirer Mindanao