PDEA says Cebu City Mayor Osmeña not on Duterte’s narco list

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) director general Aaron Aquino on Wednesday said Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not on President Rodrigo Duterte's list of politicians allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade.

"He is not included in the narcolist," Aquino said in a text message sent to GMA News Online.

Aquino said there are 87 politicians including mayors and vice mayors who are included on the President's narco list.

Osmeña admitted that he was once offered a bribe by slain high-profile drug suspect Jeffrey "Jaguar" Diaz but added that he turned it down.

"One of my urban poor leaders came to me and said Jaguar wants to give me money. I don't know how much because I didn't ask...I'm not interested, so I don't know — P7 million, P5 million, P2 million, I don't know. I just said no," he said.

"That's not even worth discussing, that's why I don't even know the amount," he added.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has accused Osmeña of coddling drug lords, citing a witness affidavit from Reynaldo "Jumbo" Diaz, allegedly the bagman and cousin of Jaguar.

According to Aguirre, Jumbo claimed that Osmeña received "payola" from Jaguar worth "P2 million for hospitalization expenses in 2013" and "P5 million during the 2016 elections."

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, meanwhile, said they have no information regarding the claim of Aguirre on Osmeña's alleged link to the illegal drug trade.

"So far ngayon wala kaming pinanghahawakan. Iba naman 'yung pinanghahawakan ni SOJ [Secretary of Justice]. Eh ang basis naman niya do'n is 'yung nag-surrender na drug personality, pinsan o kapatid nu'ng, maalala mo 'yung si Jaguar sa Cebu, 'yung pinakamalaking drug lord sa Cebu, si Jaguar," Dela Rosa said.

"'Yung kapatid o pinsan, certain Jumbo Diaz na ma-remember niyo hinuli pa namin doon sa may beach resort sa Bicol Region, doon sa Sorsogon banda, hinuli namin na only to find out na hawak na ng NBI. Nag-surrender na sa kanila kaya binalik rin namin sa kanila. And then 'yun ang nagbigay ng information, so hindi sa amin naibigay, doon sa SOJ, so wala kaming hawak," he added.

The Cebu City mayor has earlier said he was going to file a graft complaint against Aguirre for allegedly "interfering" in the government's cases against Banco De Oro and SM Prime Holdings, Inc.

Aguirre, for his part, denied that he meddled, saying that he was only exercising his power. —KG, GMA News