VM KUA TO SEEK COURT RELIEF, INJUNCTION

THE minority in the Dagupan Sangguniang Panlungsod manifested its own strong objection to a fresh  manifestation of the majority for the new set of substantial amendments of the SP’s Internal Rules and Procedures of the SP, which was officially submitted during the November 7 regular session.

Councilor Michael Fernandez, minority floor leader, asked for more time to study the new amendments since copies were distributed to members of the minority only at the same time as Councilor Redford Erfe-Mejia has begun reading the manifestation.

The majority’s manifestation was addressed jointly to the Presiding Officer, the City Secretary, Secretariat, the DILG office in Dagupan City and the DILG Regional Office in San Fernando City, La Union.

Fernandez said his group, composed of Councilors Jeslito Seen, Dennis Canto, Marcelino Fernandez, Joshua Bugayong, reserves the right to respond to the new amendments submitted by the majority with a counter-manifestation in the next SP regular session, November 14.

The new set of amendments to the IRP were signed by Erfe-Mejia and Councilors Librada Reyna-Macalanda, Alvin Coquia, Marilou Fernandez, Celia  Chua-Lim, Alfie Fernandez and Irene Lim-Acosta.

Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Bryan Kua, SP presiding officer, who earlier vowed to seek relief from the court because the substantial amendments greatly diminished his and the city secretary’s power granted by the Local Government Code, said the newly submitted amendments to the IRP are now being studied by his lawyers for the filing of a declaratory relief with prohibitory injunction before the court.

Under  the newly submitted amendments read by Erfe-Mejia,  the presiding officer can no longer make a ruling on a main motion as he did in previous sessions. Erfe- Mejia said  the amendments  introduced in the October 31 session were already approved despite the opinion of the minority.

“We have not filed yet. Inaayos pa ng aking abogado,” Kua told The PUNCH.  He noted that the submitted amendments were neither passed as an ordinance nor as resolution b ut merely as a manifestation.

Reminding  that sanctions and penalties were contained in the IRP amendments, Kua replied, “yan mga po eh. “Kaya abangan na lang natin”.

“We will be filing to make sure that their amendments are legal,” Kua said. . Asked if he felt his powers were diminished by the amendments in the IRP, Kua answered : “Yan mga po e.”

Since the amendment also prescribes penalties set to be imposed on the presiding officer and the city secretary for fraud, falsification and other offenses, the minority asserts that it should be passed as a city ordinance, not submit the amendments as mere manifestation.

It was learned that weekly, the SP majority were introducing amendments to the IRP that was crafted by them and approved during th SP  inaugural session in July last year.

Relative to this, Councilor Michael Fernandez told  the Punch: “We will object as we have already objected. Hindi naman batas yong kanilang manifestation,”

The minority bloc contends that the IRP can never be above the Local Government Code and the Philippine Constitution, and slammed the intent of the majority to put more power in its hands at the expense of the presiding officer and the city secretary. (Leonardo Micua)

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