By Gonzalo Duque

 

IT’S really surprising that a lot of cases are now being heard by the Supreme Court.

Among these are the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, which she herself filed before the high tribunal, the transfer of PhilHealth funds to the national treasury, the 2025 General Appropriations Act, the zero allocation of funds for PhilHealth, and the petition to disbar former President Rodrigo Duterte.

My good friend, former COMELEC Commissioner Rowena Guanzon describes the present administration as  “ang siyang pinakamaraming hinaharap na kaso in the history of the Philippines”.  This is not good for the administration of President Bongbong Marcos.

During the formal deliberation or oral argument on the transfer of PhilHealth funds to the national treasury, Justice Amy Lazaro Javier echoed the COA report, “PhilHeath is now bankrupt!” (The details of the oral argument in the SC can be seen on Facebook. Please watch it!).

This is very worrisome because I am sure that our people will not take this matter just sitting down during the May 12, 2025 mid-term election.

The net effect of PhilHealth’s alleged bankruptcy as a result of the fund transfer and no funding for PhilHealth in the 2025 annual budget is the non-delivery of health services to our people, especially the poor. This is really, really, really bad!

The Supreme Court should come to the aid of our people today when both the executive and legislative departments are abusing their discretion and authority.

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The irritating situation prevailing in Barangay II and III where garbage is overflowing on Rizal Street emitting foul odor to the great consternation of motorists and passersby must be resolved quickly

 A PUNCH photographer took potshot of the garbage last week and up to this writing, it is still there with no one from the barangay or the city bothering to remove it from the eyesight. 

 This is happening despite the Waste Management Crisis Summit called by Mayor Belen Fernandez at CSI Stadia attended by our barangay officials, representatives of the educational sector and from the ranks of market vendors. I understand that creative resolutions were also passed during the summit to address this long-nagging problem.

 But the ultimate responsibility to solve this problem lies with the barangay chairmen and the barangay councils. Otherwise, the city mayor, using her police power, must help solve the problem to save Dagupan from further embarrassment. 

 My good friend Sidney Lomboy, barangay captain of Tapuac, told me that the same problem exists in his barangay: 50 percent segregates the waste but his council continues to look for a solution to the other 50 percent.  At least, Sidney is starting from 50 percent so he should be able to improve the situation as the days go by.

 But as we are writing this column Thursday afternoon, we saw on Facebook that another fire broke out at the Bonuan dump site as indicated by thick black smoke bellowing from the area.

 I am quite sure that this is another product of sabotage! To me, that and the previous ones that happened, were clearly the works of saboteurs out to spoil her plan to close the dump site and get adulation for it.

 It was good that the Bureau of Fire Protection was able to put out the fire at once.
Nothing will stop her now from closing the dumpsite. We were informed that before leaving for Manila to attend a forum hosted by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Mayor Belen even dropped by the dumpsite to inspect the progress of work in the area while the city’s dump trucks were transporting the segregated wastes to the Urdaneta City Sanitary Landfill.

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For our Podcast, “The Punching Duo” with our editor Ermin Garcia Jr. as co-host, we scheduled Vice Mayor Bryan Kua as our guest on March 1.

Methinks, this is a good time for him to report to the people of Dagupan about the State of the Dagupan City Council with him as the presiding officer. We wanted Belen to be our guest again last week, so she can share with us the results of her Waste Management Crisis Summit, the very first under her administration.

Maybe, Vice Mayor Bryan can share with us the inputs from that summit, among other things.

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