VM Kua, minority dads: “Tuloy mga kaso”
LET justice take its due course.
This was the terse reply of Dagupan Councilor and Minority Floor Leader Michael Fernandez when asked if they were asked to drop the cases that Vice Mayor Bryan Kua, he and his colleagues in the minority, filed against three majority councilors in exchange for the passage and approval of the P1.385 billion annual budget of Dagupan for 2024.
“No, we did not take up these cases in our close door executive session” Fernandez assured newsmen.
The cases filed were (1) Disturbance of Proceedings; (2) Grave Coercion and (3) Grave Oral Defamation they filed against Councilors Redford Erfe-Mejia, Alfie Fernandez and Czarinna Lim-Acosta, all members of the opposition and all three were already indicted by the investigation prosecutor, Maychelle Ablog-Sergio, acting city prosecutor for Dagupan City.
The complainants in these cases aside from Fernandez and Vice Mayor Kua were Councilors Jeslito Seen, Dennis Canto, Marcelino Fernandez and Joshua Bugayong.
Fernandez (Michael) and Seen also filed a separate case of unjust vexation against Erfe-Mejia which was reduced by the investigating prosecutor to Prohibition, Interruption and Dissolution of Peaceful Meeting as defined and penalized under Article 131 of the Revised Penal Code.
Asked about the update of these cases, Fernandez said these bear good results because it is the Department of Justice that said that there is probable cause to these cases, so it means: “Tuloy na po ang mga kaso”.
“Our sole purpose in filling these cases is to prevent a repetition of such unfortunate incident,” he clarified.
He said that if they can do this to public officials like us, they can easily do it to ordinary persons. “That’s what we are trying to prevent,” Fernandez said. “So, we have to set a good example for our constituents to follow,” he added.
In the case of Vice Mayor Kua, he said: “Hindi ko masakyan kung ano ang kanilang iniisip, subalit naniniwala tayo sa hustisya at sa kasabihang, “in the end, the good will win”.
For his part, Councilor Seen said: “Hindi kami ang binastos, kundi ang Sangguniang Panlungsod na pag-aari ng taong-bayan”.
Councilor Canto said the filing of those cases was the best thing they can do because they have to protect the institution of which they are a part of. (Leonardo Micua)
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