FINALLY, Dagupan City residents can begin to look forward to the delivery of the many social and health programs that were effectively suspended by the seven majority members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, they who deliberately did all to sabotage the delivery of the services clearly, out of their political selfish interests.

Notably, the totally unexpected and belated passage of the P1.3-B 2023 annual budget not only caught the majority bloc flat footed but even surprised the Belen Fernandez administration, and for good measure. Without a doubt, the budget’s passage behooves lessons to be learned from the series of the almost bizarre events, not seen and experienced by any city or municipal government in the country.

1. The majority bloc used its numbers in obstructing in an unprecedented manner any and all plans that could endear the citizenry to the city government, hence the persistent rejection of the annual budget.
2. But why and how the majority bloc was able to get away with their obstructionist plots, can also be traced to the weakness of the minority bloc to seek ways to counter even the most obvious highly irregular and illegal initiatives. The majority bloc saw through this and exploited it to the hilt.
3. It didn’t help that Mayor Belen Fernandez herself didn’t find it necessary to push back the majority bloc’s contemptible initiatives after boldly declaring publicly that she would make them and their allies fully accountable. She said she would file administrative cases against the members of the majority bloc for blocking the passage of the annual budget, and file criminal cases against the majority’s allies who served during Brian Lim’s administration and clearly violated the anti-graft and corruption law. She has not done so to this day.

These must unusual experiences suffered by the city cannot and must not happen again. But until the electorate knows and understands what good governance requires of it, the city will always have corrupt and wily politicians like today’s majority bloc exploiting the people’s indifference.

Above all, unless and until there are city officials who will dare demonstrate that they have the political will to right the wrong, the corrupt and evil among them will continue to dictate the terms of exploitative governance.

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