By Farah G. Decano

 

ON the birthday of the late Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. this year, I suddenly remembered that the last three ordinances he approved on June 28, 2010 were my authorship: Magna Carta of Women in Dagupan City, Magna Carta of Global Dagupeños, and Gender Equality Ordinance.

The first one was in immediate response to the 2009 law which encouraged all local government units to pass their own so-called bible of women’s rights. This ordinance enumerates the rights of Dagupeñas to employment and health; and their entitlements in the domestic front, government and society.

The second local legislation grants specified participatory rights to Dagupeños living abroad and provides for processes by which these rights may be asserted.  It encourages them to draw on their foreign experiences and recommend best practices in other countries that may be applicable to the city.

The last ordinance seeks to eliminate violence and discrimination against Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals by acknowledging their human rights and penalizing any violations thereof.  This local law came ahead of the much-celebrated ordinance of the same content in Davao City which was enacted only in 2012.

It is sad that despite the trailblazing potential of the last three ordinances approved by Mayor Al, they didn’t get prioritized for immediate implementation.  They must have been enacted too early for those times.

Nowadays, LGBTQIA plus and Women’s Rights legislations are so popular.  Our local lawmakers and the executive need not go against the grain anymore.

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Crafting quality laws takes a lot of courage and creativity.  The resulting piece should be responsive to the community’s needs and empowering to the constituents. 

For our nation to move forward, our lawmakers must not limit themselves to welfare legislations such as dole-outs and discounts, amnesty laws, and punitive laws.  Legislators should know the history and sentiments of their constituency and understand the rightful trend so they can propel them towards a progressive path.  They should   expand their imagination in addressing the issues of their citizens and avoid being shortsighted. Our lawmakers must know that their legislative work of art may impact future generations.

There is one councilor who highly thought of himself as prolific because he wrote a lot of ordinances. However, judging from his legislative output, the latter are of similar import:  all punitive in nature.  He believed that the regulation of individual behaviour and the shaping of society should always be through the threat of fines and imprisonment.  In other words, “kada maling kembot, kulong.”

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Unfortunately, our electorate nowadays do not seem to evaluate our legislators by the quality of their laws.  A good number of our national lawmakers are voted upon because of their looks and/or entertainment value. Hence, we have senators who are former sports, TV, and movie personalities. Some of those who are not from the entertainment industry tend to seek votes by mimicking dancers and singers to secure their positions.

In the local level, the last minute pakurong on the eve of the elections is probably a significant determinant in winning the elections. I recently asked one elected personality of Dagupan City if he was worried about his reputation.  He candidly replied, “[r]eputation does not matter anymore. It is the pakurong which most likely determines your victory.”

To prove his point, the councilor pointed to the Honorable Michael B. Fernandez who did not engage in pakurong in the 2022 elections.  He said, “Tignan mo si Michael, magaling na konsehal pero muntik nang mahulog sa top 10.  Hindi kasi namudmod.”

Councilor Michael Fernandez is one of the few local legislators who take their legislative work seriously. He knows the Local Government Code to heart and is updated with the latest jurisprudence pertaining to local government issues. He also wrote quality and relevant ordinances. Hindi sayang ang boto sa kanya.

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I hope Mayor Belen will include in her slate of councilors those who are like Konsehal Mike – yung mga may kakayahang gumawa ng ordinansa na makabuluhan. Mayor Belen, the Dagupeños deserve quality legislators.  Paki-itaas ang antas ng mga mambabatas sa Dagupan. Huwag na po ninyong kunin bilang kandidato ang mga puro pagpapakyut lang ang alam. Nauumay na kami sa kanila. 

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