By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

PREPOSTEROUS and nonsensical is how the members of the 7 epaLiFes are seen proceeding with their attempts to still appear rational and intelligent after their series of blunders, messing up their political future.

For Councilors Red Erfe-Mejia, Celia Lim, Irene Lim-Acosta, Dada Reyna-Macalanda, Alvin Coquia, Alfie Fernandez and Marilou Fernandez to insist they were right and upright in their passage of the 2023 annual budget, show they are desperately grasping at straws.

They are making themselves believe they didn’t cut off the items due all job order employees, barangay volunteers and deleted the scholarships due deserving college students, etc. in their approved 2023 budget; that it wasn’t they who whimsically removed the budge to operationalize the Annual Investment Plan that’s meant to support infrastructure plans for schools! Their ill motives became more apparent when they thought they could correct their ordinance after their strategy blew up in their faces, claiming that what they did were clerical errors.

How could they even make themselves believe that they did nothing wrong, no different from what the 2022 budget? If they had said that in jest, they would appear humble, laughing at themselves like everybody would… but they were dead serious about themselves to a point where one cannot but wonder what has become of the scions of worthy, distinguished political families in Dagupan City.

How can they even think even for a second that their version of the 2023 budget as majority at the city council was for the good of city’s communities? Gosh, all they did was employ a unified thrust to sabotage the city government’s operations and programs!

I can commiserate anytime with a well-meaning dumb group, but there’s no way of dealing reasonably with a group that became dumber and dumber as they went.

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JURISPRUDENCE FROM THE OMBUDSMAN. I have to hand it to the 7 epaLiFes for being ultra-consistent in their efforts to be remembered as the city’s first and only mad political executioners that Dagupeños never imagined would exist. They certainly outdid themselves to be included in the hotlist of the Ombudsman for condemnation.

It might interest the 7epaLiFes to know how this might proceed today from where they stand.  Here’s a recent jurisprudence from the Ombudsman on public officials who abuse their power and positions in government.

Here’s OMBUDSMAN 101. The complainants against MIAA officials who were recently charged for abuse of authority and ultimately suspended, were anonymous!

The Ombudsman Act of 1989 or Republic Act No. 6770 prescribes that it may take up a complaint in due course or proceed with fact-finding investigation in any of the following modes: motu proprio (through the own accord of the Office), or through an anonymous complaint or a formal complaint filed before the Office.  

Anonymous complaints citing official documents exposed by the Fernandez administration would be damning enough. Not even a slightly favorable legal opinion from either the DILG and DBM can obliterate their unconscionable, unwarranted  acts.  From the 7 epaLiFes comic attempt to delete the full recorded minutes of a regular session to misrepresenting the facts for the AIP, to their deliberate moves to delay the approval of the submitted budget to subverting the process of the passage of an ordinance, etc.! They’re absolutely cooked!

While the office of the Ombudsman reminded us that, indeed, it can act on complaints from anonymous persons, I hope Mayor Belen will not need the help of anonymous complainants to do what’s right for Dagupeños. She must be seen standing up to the series of corruption shove to her face, and direct the city legal office to file the complaints today vs. officials of the Lim administration for corruption. Charge the 7epaLifes for submitting a budget that violated national laws.

However, if she decides, God forbid, to turn her back on all the proofs she painstakingly gathered, and goes against her own public declarations to bring the Lim administration’s corrupt city officials and the arrogant 7 epaLiFes to justice, she must know that she will leave a legacy that she is no better than the 7 epaLiFes that sought to destroy the city.   

Hopefully, after the Bangus Festival, she will already consider dropping the axe where it may fall on the corrupt. She already submitted a briefer to DILG Sec. Benhur Abalos, the next step should be a walk in the park. The Ombudsman is the way to go now.

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FIRST LADY AND THE GUV. It is heartwarming to see Pangasinan First Lady Maan Tuazon-Guico making time to be a hands-on executive as chairperson of the this year’s recently concluded annual Limgas na Pangasinan pageant.

She could have simply sat back, enjoyed her lofty position with a honorific title, but she didn’t and gamely took her task seriously.  I’m sure her presence in rehearsals inspired the contestants to give their best. After all, it must have dawned on the beauteous ladies that she could make them run for their money with her own poise and beauty. Seeing her immerse herself fully into her assignment must have been as sight. That’s a working First Lady there.

I sure wish her husband, Guv Mon-mon can duplicate her efforts by being seen entreating farmers, fishermen for meaningful dialogues that can guide his policies for better effect instead of being content with being seen signing agreements and performing niceties in front of an audience.

Speaking of policies, while many provincial governors have begun consultations with agri and environment sectors on how best mitigate the impact of El Niño, Pangasinan has yet to hear some guidelines from its governor.

What say you, Maam Maan?

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TUBIG!!! While the province is bracing itself for the expected full impact of El Niño, residents of Malasiqui are already feeling the brunt, trying to survive without water! Thanks to the inaction of the local officials, the IWADO, water supply concessionaire, is getting away without accountability for its failure to deliver even scant water supply to the town’s barangays, particularly in the Poblacion area, on schedule.

The consumers are being led by the nose by IWADO, giving all the alibis for not being able to deliver on their promised schedules leaving residents helpless each time it  fails to deliver the amount of water each time.

What is Mayor Noel Geslani waiting for before he lowers the axe on IWADO? What’s holding back the Sangguniang Bayan under Vice Mayor Alfe Soriano from conducting an inquiry into the failure of IWADO to deliver water to the town’s consumers??

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