Need to boost self-importance?
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
THERE must be incidents in the early youths of the 7 epaLiFes, namely, Councilors Red Erfe-Mejia, Alfie Fernandez and Irene Lim-Acosta that traumatized them about their self-esteem and self-importance.
I say this because they didn’t waste time to lead the rest of their uniformed barkada, councilors Celia Chua-Lim, Dada Reyna-Macalanda, Alvin Coquia and Marilou Fernandez in citing their absence for 60 days as reason to move for the declaration of the passage of the 150 ordinances and resolutions that included the 2025 annual budget and the 2024 supplemental budget, as illegal since these were passed in the absence of quorum! (Translation: they were absent).
By their computation, the three (who were forced to be absent because of their suspension) and the four who registered walk-outs during sessions left only 5 councilors in the session hall to pass the 150 ordinances and resolutions. In their book, their 5-0 votes were not legitimate votes because there was no quorum since the four did not participate.
It appears the 7 epaLiFe barkada still cannot accept the fact that they can’t invoke “qualified majority” when they are not physically present for any reason.
Of course, as expected, for selfish reasons of their own, they decided to manifest support for the payment of Special Recognition Incentive allowances to city hall employees. Little did we know that Councilor Jigs Seen saw the records that showed Councilors Marilou Fernandez and Alvin Coquia quickly turned around to receive their own SRI.
Did the five others hold back from getting their own until they were sure they would not be found out after the two received theirs? Given this mindset, expect the five to rush to get theirs after their resolution demanding the declaration of the two budgets is rejected by the DBM. Tsk-tsk.
I recall someone using the phrase – double-headed hypocrites! That could only be them. Personally, seeing them voting against the interests of the people is nauseating to say the least.
But who are we to stop them from digging their political graves deeper?
* * * *
VP SARA’S PAYBACK. While it was obvious that the move to impeach VP Sara Duterte is to cut her influence and that of her father, PPRRD, in the run-off to the 2028 presidential elections with Speaker Martin Romualdez. What confounded many was the fact that it was the Makabayan bloc that volunteered to do the hatchet job during the QuadCom hearings on the VP’s confidential funds.
The Makabayan bloc working for government’s interests? That’s totally unheard of.
Background: VP Sara (and her father) were well known to be uncompromising in the government’s war vs CPP-NPA-NDF since she became mayor of Davao City. Would that have been enough for the Makabayan bloc to impeach her? No.
The QuadCom designated Makabayan bloc led by Cong France Castro who volunteered to lead the job initially to discredit her and eventually lead to her impeachment. So why did she volunteer to be the point person in the move to attack VP Sara?
It appeared Cong. Castro began experiencing difficulty recruiting young high school graduates since Sara became VP and had access to confidential funds. There must be some truth to it because it was no secret that VP Sara attended high school graduation rites, giving gifts to the graduates and some cash to the parents to help in the celebration at a nearby fast food.
Her gesture must have earned some loyalty to the government (and to her) that it gained traction among other high school graduates who found themselves in colleges that are the usual recruiting bases for the NPA. All too sudden, nobody wanted to be lured to join the NPA communist ideologues.
So, Cong Castro and her ilk are looking at the impeachment of VP Sara as a payback for directly creating trouble for the NPA. In fact, it doesn’t bother her that PBBM wants the impeachment stopped. They just want VP Sara out of the picture and not out of sympathy for Speaker Martin.
The filing of the complaints is just the beginning. Watch the Makabayan bloc wrest the lead in the prosecution panel when issues become really personal.
* * * *
“I SHALL RETURN”. We have finally reached a full settlement on that divisive issue where Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s forces launched its liberation offensive.
In Lingayen, the provincial government continues to refer to MacArthur’s landing in Pangasinan through the Lingayen Gulf and holds the occasion to honor the surviving WWII veterans.
In Dagupan City, the city government is pursuing plans to establish permanent markers that will enshrine the general’s famous pledge “I shall return” to the Filipinos and the realization of that promise in Dagupan City.
I’ve always wondered in the past why there were claimed versions of MacArthur’s landing in Lingayen, San Fabian and Dagupan when pictures of the general during that period were mostly in Dagupan City. Our family has a picture of MacArthur entering the Home Economics Bldg of the then West Central School and guess who was behind him? My father! In our communications world today, let’s say he was part of the communications team for the liberation forces.
* * * *
Our second podcast ‘Punching Duo’, with PUNCH columnist Gonz Duque shows it is gaining traction here and elsewhere. After all, it was a no-holds-barred interaction with Dagupan Mayor Belen Fernandez. I could say that because it was the first time to have her in a face-to-face interview since she became councilor, vice mayor, and mayor. While I’ve always been both supportive and critical of her views and actions based on my monitoring of her official actions, she and I never had to seek out each other for clarification of the views we expressed.
There was mutual respect for what we do individually for our city.
So, continue to join us every Saturday 10.30 a.m. with replays on Wednesdays. Kabaleyan Channel offered to replay our weekly podcasts. Meanwhile, my tete-a-tete with 104.7 IFM radio’s manager Mark Espinosa on Mondays, 6:30 a.m. about issues raised in the week’s Sunday Punch issue continues.
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