By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

THE surprise presence of Dagupan City Belen Fernandez in last week’s regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod served many lessons to both officials of the executive and the legislative branches.

1. Mayor Belen should stop underestimating the 7 epaLiFes capabilities to cut her down into pieces. She was downright insulted by the majority to her face, without mincing words to impress upon her that she is hated officially and personally.
2. Mayor Belen should stop believing that there’s still an iota of civility left in the minds of the 7 epaLiFes.  There’s none.
3. The minority failed to contain the majority in their verbal assault and the subsequent walkout because they didn’t prepare fully for a hostile situation.
4. The minority could have attempted to pass the annual budget when the 7 epaLiFes’ walked out before the session could be officially adjourned since a roll call was done, and the majority had no valid excuse to explain their absence before adjournment. But they didn’t.
5. The majority should stop underestimating the minority’s capability to spring a surprise during a regular session. They could have stopped Mayor Belen from proceeding with her speech but they were caught flatfooted by the surprise scheme.
6. The majority could have exploited the situation when it was allowed to challenge Mayor Belen with its own scripted “questions” meant to make her look like a clueless leader.

Tsk-tsk. They forgot the Boy Scouts’ motto, that in times of political turmoil  and uncertainties, Laging handa!

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ALL ABOUT HUBRIS AND EGOS. Judging from the mayor’s and councilors’ demeanor, it now appears that what’s causing the delay in the passage of the annual budget are hubris and bloated egos from both sides.

Clearly, the 7 epaLiFes are of the belief that Mayor Belen is not strong enough to stand up to their pressure and will soon acquiesce, come to their terms with their P70k monthly demand because she’s afraid to make enemies of them like they make of her.

On the other hand, Mayor Belen views the 7 epaLiFes simply as another bunch of temporary political enemies who can be swayed merely by negative publicity, without need to reach a compromise about their demand for additional P70K in monthly allowances (for job orders) for themselves.

What’s common between them? It’s about their propensity to cut corners in achieving their objectives.  They would rather compel results with a show of force whether by their political influence or by physical numbers instead of opting for legal actions open to them.

For instance, the majority could have simply added more funds for salaries of employees and job orders in the submitted budget to meet their demands and could have simply left it to the executive to realign its submitted budget. But they’d rather see her humiliated before she surrenders to their demands. They perceive her to have a compromising character being an adroit businesswoman and entrepreneur so they believe she will compromise on their terms.

Mayor Belen, on the other hand, could have easily kept the pesky 7 epaLiFes at bay if she only showed she has the political will to make people fully accountable for their actions not merely by words. To date, she has not filed cases against members of the scholarship committee over the discovered irregularities in the management of the scholarship funds, after weeks and months of detailing the anomalies in media. Obviously, she believes the 7 epaLiFes will soon come around on her terms without filing a case with her threats to file cases against them and their allies.  (The 7 epaLiFes don’t believe she is capable of filing legal cases against anyone, especially not them, not against the Lims and their allies).

 Both refuse to use the law to protect and promote their respective political agenda. So, watch them continue to trade barbs, insulting, threatening and undermining each other while the funds needed badly to implement the programs to speed up development are frozen.

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MISPLACED MANDATE. The Dagupan POSO recommendation to reduce the number of pedestrian lanes in the city’s business district because of numerous accidents is sorely misplaced and is a contradiction of their mandate as public safety enforcers.

Pedestrian lanes are intended precisely to protect the public from irresponsible motorists and riders. Without the pedestrian lanes, the walking public becomes doubly vulnerable and helpless against reckless motorists and riders.

Given their legitimate concerns, I would have expected POSO to recommend the training and deployment of POSO personnel to all pedestrian lanes in the city and to create more pedestrian lanes within 50 meters of each other to fully provide the walking public the convenience and protection they need.

Today, we only see POSO members directing movements of jeepneys, buses and vans but no one to help the public cross the streets safely at the right time.

I recall seeing Mayor Belen in the past directing traffic from a pedestrian lane. I thought that was the lesson she was imparting to the POSO office.  Well, no one took her seriously.

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EXPOSED AGAIN. Gov. Mon-mon Guico is again unwittingly exposed as a do-nothing governor, this time by the NBI.  

The NBI has taken it upon itself to track down hoarders of agri products in Pangasinan who are acting in unison with syndicates to manipulate prices and supply of rice, sugar, onions and garlic. (Soon, salt).

The whole time the prices of rice went haywire, followed by sugar and onions, nothing was ever heard from this governor. Not even a pipsqueak from him to suggest that all warehouses should be inspected if only to show some concern for both households and farmers as their governor.

Mr. Guico never consulted stakeholders in agriculture to see where a sudden gap in the proven system of production and distribution system is felt. Nothing. And as if on cue, Vice Guv Mark Lambino made certain that no resolution looking into the cases of farmers and prices of the agri products would be filed by any board member. How’s that for impendence of minds?

There has been a perfect coordination between the governor and the provincial board – when to shut up and when to distract public attention. The latest ploy was showing the governor busy signing an executive order extending the ban on swine and pork byproducts, on the recommendation of the provincial board.

Noting the number of MOAs he already signed, not a single MOA showed concern for the livelihood of rice, onion and garlic farmers.  All initiatives so far came from the national agencies. 

Will someone in his circle please remind him that he is the governor expected to act swiftly on issues affecting livelihood, food, safety and welfare of all Pangasinenses, that being a governor is not about being in photo ops only but being able to communicate his plans and vision for his constituents, 24/7! Perhaps, Mrs. Guico can help in this regard when she’s not busy with her own photo ops.

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