Politics in food aid distribution

By Leonardo Micua

 

IT is quite disgusting if not revolting to know that politics still rear its ugly head in many places even while we are still in the midst of our painstaking battle against COVID-19 and under the General Community Quarantine.

A case in point was the reported refusal of the Binalonan LGU to accept the truckload of rice assistance, consisting of some 400 bags, for distribution to the constituents of the town’s 24 barangays.

We heard that Mayor Ramon Guico Jr. turned down the rice assistance when it was being delivered to the municipal hall by the staff of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development a few days ago.

The rice assistance is for the barangays to boost their stock of relief goods for distribution to their constituents, many of whom could not resume their work because of the still existing GSQ.

But the good mayor of Binalonan reportedly refused to have the rice assistances unloaded in the premises of municipal hall for obvious political if not selfish reason.

Informed of this, DILG Regional Director James Fadrilan Jr. is now seeking an explanation from LGU Binalonan why it turned down the rice assistance intended not for the LGU but for Binalonan residents.

Observers said playing politics in this COVID-19 era could be considered as a tacit violation of the Bayanihan to Heal as One act. That could be the reason why DILG is seeking an explanation why the rice assistance was rejected and to cite any infraction committed.

Emil Samson, provincial social welfare and development officer, revealed that the truck had to return to Lingayen and bring back the cargo to the warehouse of PSWDO.

Emil wondered why this was rejected in Binalonan when all the other 46 LGUs of Pangasinan gladly welcomed it and even profusely thanked the provincial government for coming to their rescue in this stage of the extreme health emergencies.

Well, we know that the Guicos and Espinos were fierce political enemies in the last election but this is the time for unity when we are all under attack by COVID-19, an unseen enemy.

In this fight, Binalonan cannot be an island by itself that it set out to be because it remains a part and parcel of Pangasinan. So, politics must be put in the back burner to form a united front against COVID-19.

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In Dagupan, Mayor Brian Lim may not have gotten what he actually wanted when the Sangguniang Panlungsod passed the ordinance regulating the operation of private vehicles along some of the city’s roads by imposing the number coding scheme during the current health emergency.  

He thought that the proposed ordinance that he submitted to the SP and authored by his ally, Councilor Cisco Jay Flores, would be approved hook, line, and sinker without any amendment, by all members of the legislative body. Well, he was wrong. 

You see, Lim asked for three-day coding for private vehicles but the SP approved only one day of coding. Secondly, the mayor wanted the coding to be enforced from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. This was shortened by the SP to 8:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. and only from Monday to Friday.

The SP granted his wish but met him halfway by presenting what one may call it as a “watered down” city ordinance.

Lim proposed the fines to be fixed at P1,000 for the first offense, P2,000 for the second offense, and P5,000 for the third and succeeding offenses. Instead, SP approved P500 for the first offense, P1,000 for the second offense, and P2,000 for the third offense and succeeding violations.    

Moreover, the mayor wanted the ordinance to be applied uniformly to car owners from inside and outside Dagupan but the SP stood its ground by exempting car owners from Dagupan, especially those working in the city and including non-residents who are working in the city as well as non-residents passing Dagupan to work somewhere else.

At the same time, the SP limited the areas where the number coding may be enforced by the POSO.

So, if anyone in the city who would be ticketed by the POSO for supposed violation of the ordinance, check with the SP first before going to the court. 

Question: Has Lim lost his magic on the SP? You be the judge.

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