By Leonardo Micua

 

MEMBERS of the new minority in the Dagupan city council again headed to the exit door in their last regular session for the year, again opting not to participate in healthy parliamentary debates with their counterparts in the new majority.

This has become their routine since November 5 after three of their colleagues were slapped with a 60-day preventive suspension by the Office of the President.

For almost eight weeks since the preventive suspension of their colleagues, all that Councilors Celia Lim, Librada Reyna, Alvin Coquia and Marilou Fernandez did was walk out of the session hall. Not worth the fat monthly salaries and allowances they receive from the city coffers.

Has it occurred to them that they are administratively and criminally liable under the Local Government Code and other applicable laws for what they have been doing?

The people of Dagupan should now think twice about voting back into office this bunch of public officials who, by their repeated vanishing acts, one can easily see it’s not public service that’s uppermost in their minds.

In their last walkout, they lost their chance to participate in the discussion that led to the passing of an ordinance seeking a supplemental budget of more than P19 million to bankroll mainly the P20,000 Special Recognition Incentive (SRI) of more than 700 employees in the city government.

Recall that that the entire work force of the Dagupan City government and their families suffered a virtually bleak Christmas last year when the seven ruling majority in the city council sternly refused to pass that legislation.

Mayor Belen Fernandez even broke tradition when she called for a special session of the city council on December 30, 2023, only for the purpose of approving that supplemental budget. But they spurned the call for that special session.

By some quirks of fate, they only granted the mandated monetary benefits sometime in May 2024. But that was way too late for Christmas shopping.

The sad fate suffered last year by the hardworking employees of the city government will not be repeated.

The new majority in the council composed of Councilors Michael Fernandez, Jeslito Seen, Dennis Canto, Marcelino Fernandez and Bradley Benavides already passed without blinking an eye the needed supplemental budget for the P20K SRI, which is due them under an executive order of PBBM.

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Twice, members of the new minority in the Dagupan SP were caught conferring with one or two of the suspended councilors sitting in the gallery, clearly seeking advice from them. This often happens when they seem to have run out of words to argue in their debates with the new majority.

 We suspect this could be the reason why Councilors Redford Erfe-Mejia, Alfie Fernandez and Irene Lim-Acosta never missed any session just sitting in the gallery since they began serving their suspension last November 5.

 Their new task, it seems, is to constantly provide advice to their four remaining colleagues in the session hall, who may find the risk of running into debates with Councilor and Majority Floor Leader Michael Fernandez. 

 Just like last Tuesday, Councilor Reyna, when cornered in a fiery debate with Councilor Fernandez over the adoption of minutes of past sessions since October 2023, she called for a recess after getting a hand signal from Erfe-Mejia to approach the gallery for some advice. 

 “That’s uncalled for,” said Fernandez, arguing that it is unethical for a suspended councilor to still provide advice to his colleagues in the session hall. Councilor Canto attested that from his seat, he spotted Erfe-Mejia giving a hand signal to the minority councilors.

 As expected, Councilor Celia Lim defended the presence of the three suspended councilors in the gallery, arguing that SP sessions are open to the public. 

 She maintained in a harsh voice that there was nothing wrong if they confer sometimes with the suspended councilors who were not in the session hall anyway but in the gallery. 

 When, the Majority Floor Leader again caught Reyna consulting with Erfe-Mejia in the gallery while the session was ongoing, her sharp retort was, “What we were talking about was none of Fernandez’ s’business and that this was a personal matter.“

 Fernandez was in disbelief:  “Talking a personal matter while the session is on?”

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Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

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