A post of the Public Information Office of Dagupan City that falsely credited City Councilor Celia Lim as author of the ordinance increasing the allowance of barangay tanods and an insensitive comment by a market marshal directed at Councilor Teresa Coquia created a furor at the Sangguniang Panglunsod (SP).

The comment “Madam baka makanser ka uli” posted by Jester Jeff Enriquez, a member of the Market Marshal task force which Coquia had denounced last month to be behind  P25,000 collection of monthly “kotong” from small -scale fish consignment and retailers at the Magsaysay Fish, was promptly denounced by Coquia.

Coquia, the real author of Resolution No. 7747-2020, said Enriquez’s comment caused her and her children trauma being a cancer survivor.

Enriquez is also a supporter of the LiFe Team headed by Mayor Brian Lim.

When Coquia called the attention of Councilor Lim, the later merely suggested that cyber libel be filed against Enriquez while the rest of the councilors demanded that Enriquez make a public apology before he SP.

Coquia said it did not matter to her if she was not credited for the work she had done but for city government to make a false claim was another thing. “They should not tell lies but the truth,” she intoned.

Councilor Michael Fernandez, SP majority floor leader, clarified for the record that it was Councilor Coquia who authored Resolution No. 7747 -2020 and was co-authored by Councilor Marcelino Fernandez requesting the city mayor to grant P300 additional allowance to the city’s more than 500 Barangay tanods.

Coquia said she sponsored the measure on November 17, 2020 because as a former Barangay Captain of Caranglaan, she knew of the sacrifices of the tanod who were on duty  from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. receiving only P700 a month.

The measure served as the basis of the finance committee of the mayor’s office to include the P300 additional allowance of tanod in Supplemental Budget No.1 but the same was declared inoperative by the Department of Budget and Management. In Supplemental Budget No. 2, the increased allowance of the tanod was made P500 each and the same was already implemented even without its review by DBM.

Councilor Fernandez said PIO must explain how and why the fake news was posted and to make Enriquez account for his posted comment.

Public Information Officer Gabriel Cardinoza has been on leave since November. (Leonardo Micua)

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