SP committee takes hearing to department offices
WHEN Mohammad cannot go to the mountain, the mountain will go to Mohammad.
This was exactly what members of a Dagupan City council committee did on Friday when two department heads ignored their invitation to attend a scheduled hearing to give opinion on a proposed legislation.
The absent department heads were ostensibly complying with the memorandum of Mayor Benjamin Lim directing them not to attend sessions and meetings of the council without his prior clearance.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on land utilization headed by Councilor Alvin Coquia decided to go to the respective offices of City Planning and Development Coordinator Romeo Rosario and City Engineer Virginia Rosario and hold the hearing right there.
Coquia’s committee conducted a hearing on a draft resolution proposed by Councilor Maybelyn Fernandez interposing no objection to the establishment of the CSI Hotel and Resort.
The members of the committee of Land Utilization include Councilor Alfie Fernandez, the vice chairman; and Councilors Jesus Canto, Karlos Reyna, Lino Fernandez and Redford Erfe Mejia.
Councilor Marc Brian Lim, son of the mayor, walked out of the committee hearing after stating his position that the hearing was premature.
Lim also contended that the council is practically usurping the power of the executive department, as it has no jurisdiction over the matter without a proper endorsement from the City Planning and Development Office and the City Mayor’s Office.
Canto countered that the basis of the committee hearing was a draft resolution filed by a city councilor, properly endorsed to the committee during the August 9 session without any objection.
Therefore, Canto said, the committee must perforce act on the draft resolution.
Councilor Luis Samson Jr. also agreed that the “the hearing is within the powers of the Sangguniang Panlungsod”.
GROWTH AREA
Before Lim walked out, Prof. Nicanor Melecio, an environmental expert, explained to the committee that under the zoning ordinance of the city passed in 2005, Lucao –along with the downtown area, Caranglaan-Tebeng and Bonuan – had already been identified as a growth area.
He said any proposed development in the Lucao area will not impact negatively and substantially on the ecology in the area, provided it conforms to the requirements of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Public Highways, the city government, tourism and zoning.
At the same time, Melecio pointed out that the construction of the Jose R. de Venecia Expressway Extension that cut across vast tracts of fishponds “drastically changed the nature of the natural fishponds as we know of”.
Meanwhile, retired City Judge George Mejia said the proposed CSI Hotel and Resort will not violate any national or local law.
Reiterating opinion of Melecio, the City Zoning Ordinance of 2005 warrants that there is no need for a formal conversion of the Lucao area into a commercial area because the zoning ordinance already effectively did this, disputing Lim’s assertion that there is still a need for conversion.
“It is within in the power or a mandated duty of the Sangguniang Panlungsod to act on the application of the CSI.” Mejia maintained. LM
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