AFTER PASSAGE OF 150 ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS

MAYOR Belen Fernandez sees a more progressive year for Dagupan in 2025 as it will no longer operate on a reenacted budget, unlike in 2023 and 2024, which she described as “excruciating years” for the city and people.

The mayor told the city hall employees during the flag-raising ceremony last week that the passage of the 2025 annual budget of P1.68 billion enabled the city to start implemention of programs and projects.

However, the seven majority councilors — shortly after the return of Councilors Red Erfe-Mejia, Alfie Fernandez and Irene Acosta Lim from their 60-day preventive suspension — wasted no time in questioning in passing the annual budget, including its alleged violation of the existing house rules, citing a lack of quorum, in a resolution addressed to the Department of Budget and Management.

Undeterred by the new ‘but old’ challenges from the opposition, the mayor said the SP, led by her allies who assumed the majority headed by Councilor Michael Fernandez during the 60-day period, along with Councilor Jeslito Seen, Dennis Canto, Marcelino Fernandez and Bradley Benavides, passed an unprecedented number of ordinances and resolutions  that have an over-arching impact on Dagupan City  and its 180,000 people.

Among the 150 major ordinances passed provides for the establishment of the first Dagupan City Vocational College at the Juan P. Guadiz Elementary School and payment of P7,000 medical allowance per employee.

It also assured the completion this year of an evacuation center in the island barangay of Pugaro amid the threat of a tsunami that could emanate from the Manila Trench in the West Philippine Sea, after the Brian Lim administration diverted the funds intended for it.

The Pugaro center will complement the evacuation center in Barangay Salapingao and the newly completed multi-purpose building built from funds allocated by former senator and now Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara, which was worked out by Atty. Liberato Reyna Jr, chairman of the Dagupan People’s Council.

She said the garbage problem in Dagupan City is also expected to be drastically minimized with the purchase of four brand new dump trucks and several multipurpose vehicles for use of the Waste Management Division.

At the ‘Punching Duo’ podcast of Atty. Gonzalo Duque and Punch Publisher Ermin Garcia Jr., the mayor announced that work on the new Dagupan City Hall will resume soon. (Leonardo Micua)

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