By Gonzalo Duque

 

AS I write this column, I heard that the nationwide rally of the Iglesia in Cristo on January 13 will go on as scheduled.

I heard that they might even be joined by other groups like the Kingdom of Jesus Christ of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, Jesus is the Lord of Brother Eddie Villanueva, El Shaddai of Brother Mike Villarreal, and other Christian and Muslim groups all over the country.

Will the rally further erode public confidence on the incumbent Marcos administration and signal its downfall?

I remember what former President Diosdado Macapagal told us when the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos ruled the country with an iron fist.

Macapagal compared the opposition then as a small splintered group that he described as “only first wave”.

They didn’t even make a dent on the might of Marcos who was at the peak of his power then.

After the first wave, the second wave consisting of militant students, farmers, fisherfolks, other ordinary citizens, and the underground ‘mosquito’ press in the likes of the Inquirer and Malaya joined the chorus of the opposition.

Still, they did not succeed in their efforts to topple Marcos.

It took then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and some disgruntled members of the military led by Colonel Gringo Honasan, and later joined by the forces of then Deputy AFP Chief of Staff Fidel V. Ramos, and the call of Cardinal Sin for the people to assemble and rally at EDSA to topple the dictator.

Going back to the rally on January 13, it is supposed to remind Congress that the impeachment of VP Sara Duterte must not take place as it is counter-productive in healing the nation’s wounds and will only lead to further disunity.

Will January 13 be a lucky day for Bongbong Marcos whose birthday is September 13, or fall under the category of what we call “trese phobia” (unlucky day)?

If we recall, Erap was the 13th President of the Philippines who was ousted and did not finish his term. Let’s see what happens.

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The New Year Podcast we had with our publisher, Ermin, last January 4, 2025, with Mayor Belen Fernandez as guest, became viral in our city. We registered more than 30,000 views for a starter podcast on a local level.

This is an excellent indication that our podcast is becoming the talk of the town. 

Mayor Belen even requested that it be replayed at USATV’s Kabaleyan Channel. 

I also requested that Celia Lim be invited to our program because we would like to interview her about the role of the majority party in the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Dagupan, and also about her plans if she becomes the next mayor of Dagupan.

I promise that she will be treated fairly in the interview. 

Will she oblige?

*          *          *          *

The three councilors who were preventively suspended for 60 days — Honorables Irene Lim-Acosta, Redford Erfe-Mejia, and Alfie Fernandez — have resumed their duties as councilors, thus regaining control of the majority in the Dagupan SP.

I was informed that as they barely warmed up their seats, they immediately enacted a resolution questioning or attacking the different measures passed by the Sanggunian when they were under suspension.

Specifically, they questioned the passage of an ordinance authorizing the P557 million Supplemental Budget No. 2 designed for various programs and projects of the city, and another ordinance authorizing the P1.6 billion budget of Dagupan for 2025.

They brought their problem to the Department of Budget and Management, alleging among others that the passage of these ordinances were highly irregular.

They still adhere to their misguided notion that said ordinances were approved without a quorum despite an opinion of the DILG advising the SP that the three suspended councilors would not be included to determine a quorum.

In other words, the determination of a quorum is based on the number of councilors elected and qualified.

The other contention of the majority seemed misplaced, according to Councilor Michael Fernandez, who said that the 2/3 majority to amend the rules was not decided by the entire body but merely through a written manifestation of the majority bloc that did not amount to the amendment of the old house rules.

Maybe their written manifestation was done to escape their own idea that it would need 2/3 of all members to amend the house rules of the Sanggunian.

Balik na naman sa dating gawi?

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