RUCKUS MARS DAGUPAN SP SESSION

CHAOS erupted during the October 10 session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod as the majority caucus attempted to defer the approval of the minutes for the council’s past sessions discussing the 2023 annual budget.

Particularly for the minutes of the September 26 and October 3 council sessions, the majority council members moved for the deferment of its approval in an attempt to invalidate the passage of the 2023 annual budget on September 26.

Minutes of rom the SP session when Mayor Belen Fernandez spoke and appealed for the passage of the 2023 annual budget were deleted by the majority councilors and have not been restored in the Sanggunian Panlungsod records.

In response, the minority councilors resisted the move. A vote was initiated by Councilor Redford Erfe-Mejia, a member of the majority bloc.

Vice Mayor Bryan Kua, however, ruled that only the nine members present during the September 26 session on the annual budget’s approval, five from the minority and four from the majority, could vote.

This led to heated opposition from the seven majority councilors, who insisted they all should be able to vote.

Vice Mayor Kua stood firm, arguing that only councilors present during the budget’s approval could vote, excluding the three majority councilors who were overseas but have since returned.

Ruckus in the session

The majority councilors attempted to disrupt the proceedings, with Councilors Erfe-Mejia and Alipio Serafin Fernandez displaying ‘unparliamentary behavior’ during the voting process as directed by Vice Mayor Kua.

In an attempt to interrupt the voting, Erfe-Mejia grabbed the microphone held by City Secretary Ryan Ravanzo and began shouting about presence of gunman inside the session hall audience, and pointed to one person in the hall he suspected to be carrying a gun.

Erfe-Mejia’s “suspect” turned out to be an emergency employee at the city council (identified as “Mr. Manaois”) and contrary to his charge, the “suspect” emptied the contents of his bag in front of him and his colleagues in the majority to show that he was not carrying a gun.

Councilor Acosta joined the commotion and hurled tirades against Vice Mayor Kua and began cussing him. Her mother, Celia, retrained her to prevent further unparliamentary conduct by the majority bloc.

City Secretary Ravanzo carried on with the nominal voting despite the disruption, which resulted in a 5-4 vote.

Councilor Michael Fernandez requested a new roll call after the minutes of the September 26 and October 3 sessions were approved, but only the minority councilors responded.

The majority councilors, however, contended that the session had already adjourned before the results were announced.

Councilor Fernandez explained that the approval of these minutes signifies the removal of legal obstacles to the use of the 2023 annual city budget by the Dagupan City government, provided it is published and passes the review of the Department of Budget and Management.

If the majority’s desired deferral of the minutes had succeeded, it could have been used as a basis for repeated challenges to the recently passed annual budget. (Leonardo Micua)

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