By Gonzalo Duque

 

WE just learned that the House of Representatives, through the Committee on Appropriation, recommended P733 million budget for next year of the Office of the Vice President, cutting the proposed original budget of P2.3 billion.

The committee re-allocated the bigger chunk of P1.567 billion as additional budgets of the  Department of  Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health, contending that these two agencies are the more appropriate entities that could bring social services to our people.

The congressmen have succeeded in paralyzing the office of Vice President Sara Duterte. Apparently, their next move is to impeach her.

But one individual, Congressman Rodante Marcoleta, stood in defense of the Office of the Vice President by urging Congress to follow the time-honored tradition of giving courtesy to the office of the second highest official of the land.

That should have been the proper thing to do.

If Congressman Marcoleta runs for the Senate in 2025, I will campaign for him. If there is one legislator that has earned my respect, that’s him.

Marami tayong kumakandidato sa senators who do not even deserve to be in the House of Representatives.

It is Marcoleta who deserves to become a member of that august chamber that is the Philippine Senate.

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I learned from my source that Mayor Belen Fernandez has requested the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Dagupan again, again and again to pass the resolution granting her the authority to sign for and in behalf of the city a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Health for the establishment of the P150-million Mother and Child Hospital.

The mayor again issued another certification of urgency for the Sanggunian to pass the resolution but the majority bloc again ignored the passage of the measure. 

Initially, I was very keen to sue the Sangguniang Panlungsod because I believed then that the city council, especially the seven majority councilors, could not hold hostage the establishment of such a facility in our city.

Sa totoo lang, I knew then that the case has its merits but I cannot understand why I suddenly lost interest in pursuing it. Nandun na ako sa dulo pero naudlot.

I recall that when I threw my support to then Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez for the first time and even in the past, she never stopped giving us importance over what we pursued.

However, suddenly I lost the necessary inspiration to go on and on. Perhaps because I felt it’s time Belen takes on that responsibility and duty today for our people.

I feel that Atty. Aurora Valle, as the city legal officer, should file the case instead and do it immediately before the P150 million allotted by DOH for this project is reverted to the national treasury. I’m willing to help in the effort.

Atty. Valle, please waste no time as you are supported by both the law and our people. 

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The construction of our new city hall has been languishing for more than two years now.

It was because the National Historical  Commission, which declared our old city hall behind the new one that is about to rise, being exactly 100 years on 2025, only recently issued the clearance for the continuation of the project.

I was told that the project can already be pursued with some adjustments to conform to the wishes of the Commission.

What are we waiting for, Mayor Belen?

I do not want to belabor Mayor Belen for the said project. But I think she should finish the project to finally put the city hall issue to rest.

Need I tell you that  I had my reservation about the city hall in the past. What I wanted before was a city hall of four stories that could occupy the city plaza quadrangle.

When I proposed this to our city officials, pinagtawanan lang tayo. Ayaw ko nang i-kwento yong dahilan kung bakit tayo pinagtawanan. 

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