THIRD DELAYING TACTIC OF MAJORITY

THE December 19 regular session of the Dagupan Sangguniang Panlungsod adjourned without a chance to discuss the pending P150 million Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Dagupan City.

Reason: There was no quorum since all seven members of the majority block were absent. Councilors Alfie Fernandez, Alvin Coquia and Marilou Fernandez were on leave while Councilor Redford Erfe-Mejia was on sick leave, and Councilor Librada Reyna-Macalanda was on Official Business; and Celia Lim and her daughter Irene Lim-Acosta were on approved travel leave.

Those who answered the roll call were Vice Mayor Bryan Kua, Councilors Michael Fernandez, Jeslito Seen, Dennis Canto, Marcelino Fernandez, and Bradley Benavides, chair of the Sangguniang Barangay Federation.

On top of the day’s agenda was to continue the discussion on passage of a resolution authorizing Mayor Belen Fernandez to sign with DOH a Memorandum of Agreement for the construction of the Mother and Child Hospital and officials from the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) 1 were in attendance to appeal for the approval of the resolution.

They were joined by Mayor Fernandez, City Legal Officer Aurora Valle, City Health Officer Ophelia Rivera, and OIC City Engineer Josephine Corpuz.

The DOH officials led by Drs. Veronica Guadiz-de Guzman and Kai Sibayan came to the SP to answer all questions from the seven majority councilors and to submit the documents required by the committee to reverse the “not favorable report”.

Councilor Canto said the majority bloc knew that the deadline for the passage of the resolution was November 15, yet the majority only made known its demand for some documents to be submitted before the resolution can be passed.

Councilor and Minority Floor Leader Michael Fernandez slammed the continuing delaying tactics of the majority in spite of efforts of the DOH and the city government to meet the demands of the committee on health headed by Councilor Marilou Fernandez.

After the session was adjourned for absence of quorum, an executive-legislative caucus presided by Mayor Fernandez and Vice Mayor Kua, was held to discuss the feared implications of the failure of the SP to pass the resolution.

Councilor and Liga president Fernandez echoed the support for the establishment of the hospital by all the newly constituted barangay councils with ready resolutions to the seven-man majority to approve the resolution.

Benavides also reiterated the Sangguniang Kabataan’s full support to the establishment of the hospital (Leonardo Micua)

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