By Farah G. Decano

 

MAYOR Belen T. Fernandez demonstrated courage and humility by facing the opposition in their own turf – the Sanggunian.

In the last regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, she finally accepted the invitation to defend the 2023 proposed budget before the Sanggunian, although without notice.

This move of the Mayor shocked a lot of Dagupan residents, this writer included.  It seemed like she walked into a dungeon of lions with no weapons, and with only a few outnumbered allies to protect her.

She knew that they could rip her bones apart.  She knew that they could shame her and blow what is left of her self-esteem to smithereens.

She did it nevertheless.

She did not go there to prove who roared the loudest and to drum up her power over them. After all, by virtue of the 2022 elections, she knows that she has been the chosen one for the next three years.

She did not go there to finally accept the war waged against her by the opposition, and to make use of the halls of the Sanggunian as battleground.

She went there as the highest chosen representative of the people of Dagupan City who would do anything to fulfill their aspirations.  She extended her hand in reconciliation to the opposition.

It may seem that she ate her pride by doing so.  But I do not appreciate it as that.  I saw it as a demonstration to the majority that the concerns of the city were much larger issues than personal animosities.   And she turned out to be the bigger person, so to speak.

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That the opposition had to walk out of the session hall when the City Mayor suddenly arrived spoke volumes of the uncertainty and wobbly legal leg of their earlier arguments against the proposed budget. 

If they claimed that they were meticulously reviewing the budget for the sake of Dagupan residents (thus, the unintended delay), then they should have welcomed and taken advantage of the presence of the valiant mayor.  They could have probed into her motivations, fry her with burning questions, and make her sweat in her hot seat.

When the good Mayor offered her head to be chopped off, the opposition could have gone for the kill.  That she took the risk of freely exposing herself just to be able to lobby for the enactment of the appropriations ordinance meant that there was nothing improper about her and her programs. 

If anything, the walk-out of the majority exposed their lack of solid grounds against the budget. They did not shame the Mayor for doing so.  They shamed themselves.                                                                    

Suddenly, am reminded of a quote – the wicked flee though no one pursues but the righteous are as bold as the lion.

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 I thought my days of fake news were over when I bowed out from public service in 2019.  Sadly, to this day, there are still some people who use my name to get favors, or to scare responsibilities away.

Let me write here again: I am not the only female Atty. Decano in Dagupan City.  I am connected only with the L-NU College of Law and my own law office. I have no business whatsoever nor do I have “tauhan” to guard me.  Please distinguish. I might have been mistaken for the other.

In one instance, an employee of an institution pretended that he was my driver to someone whose vehicle, he bumped. The person found my name on FB and verified if the driver was really connected to me.  Of course, he was not.  Then last Sunday, a long time acquaintance came up to me providing excuses about a building that he and his group allegedly approved. I surely did not have a clue what he was talking about!

The driver and whosoever used my name to complain about a certain building have one thing in common – cowardice.

I guess its time to once more instill the value of courage in taking responsibilities so we don’t walk out on our accountabilities.

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