An honorable compromise for Dagupeños
AS we usher in the year of the Chinese Wooden Snake, many have expressed hopes that the protracted political animosities seen at the Dagupan Sangguniang Panlungsod will finally come to an end.
While the five minority members (Councilors Michael Fernandez, Jigs Seen, Dennis Canto, Kap. Marcelino “Lino” Fernandez and SK Pres. Bradley Benavides, led by Vice Mayor Bryan Kua) succeeded in passing the much-delayed 2025 city budget, still, many more can be done between now and June 30 before the new set of elected city officials take over.
Ahead lies the opportunity for the seven opposition members (Councilors Celia Chua Lim, Red Erfe-Mejia, Alfie Fernandez, Librada Reyna-Macalanda, Alvin Coquiao, Irene Lim-Acosta and Marilou Fernandez) to demonstrate that the plight and welfare of Dagupeños remain their core purpose and objective even as they were seen to be obstructionists since they assumed their posts as councilors. As members of the opposition, they had their reasons for playing the role of ‘fiscalizers’ as they saw it, but all that can be viewed as all in the past.
The spirit of the 2025 Chinese New Year has dawned and it beckons the two opposing political forces to settle down and seek compromises that would end their endless unproductive time and efforts for the city.
It can start with a resolution that another election of a majority leader be held, a process that would restore the post to the opposition, and a process that minority members have indicated that they have no objection to.
As a compromise, the opposition must agree to work with the new set of internal rules that the minority introduced when called upon by the circumstances then, which led to the passage finally of a budget that allowed the city government to implement its programs for the benefit of the Dagupeños.
The opposition must accept it cannot undo what was done when it lost three of its members and the privilege of a majority, much like when the minority could not undo what the opposition with their numbers, as the majority, did.
Under the new set-up, with the post of majority leader restored to the opposition to effectively lead in the crafting of the weekly agenda, under new internal rules introduced by the minority, the city can begin to hope for even better days for their constituents – Dagupeños.
It’s time for public service to take over petty politics at the Sanggunian.
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