By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

AFTER both Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez and Vice Mayor Bryan Kua agreed to be humiliated and their offices disgraced by the seven councilors in the majority by appearing before their committees to be made accountable, the two city officials will have more humiliating situations coming.

The city’s two highest officials and the councilors in the minority can stop wondering if the seven councilors will ever start performing like true public servants because they never will. It can only happen if Mayor Belen, VM Bryan and the five councilors led by Minority Leader Michael Fernandez get down on their knees for their complete subjugation. That’s foretold going by their earlier actions.

The irony is, Mayor Belen et al. know where all these are leading to but they aren’t moving to stop the unprecedented level of obstructionism seen in the city. The majority councilors (Red Erfe-Mejia, Alfie Fernandez, Celia Lim, Irene Lim-Acosta, Librada Reyna-Macalanda, Alvin Coquia, Malou Fernadez) already had them all sorted out for what they are not capable of doing… and to what extent.

It has become much too obvious to the obstructionists that Mayor Belen et al. are afraid to take that single step to shut them up – to file criminal and administrative cases against them and their allies. And the seven councilors can thank their stars that they have found the wherewithal and the power to fight city hall, not because of their arrogance and persistence but because of the lack or absence of political will of the Fernandez administration to do what they, the seven, would do, if the situation were reversed – to file cases before the Ombudsman!

When the majority started by imposing their internal rules regardless of what the Local Government Code states, the minority swallowed these like herded sheep. When the majority delayed the passage of the annual budget, Mayor Belen and the minority councilors only ranted and meekly followed the majority’s pace. When the majority slapped Mayor Belen with an annual budget that only a third-class town can work with, after she appeared before the seven councilors to make her office accountable, she merely protested publicly and that was it. VM Bryan was directed twice to appear the committee, he meekly complied only to be ignored.

So, wonder no more why the seven obstructionists are on a roll, strutting their wares like they never did. In fact, I won’t be surprised if they think they already have the political election narrative that can make Mayor Belen et al. lose in their reelection bid in 2025.  They will tout Mayor Belen et al. as weaklings, who have no moral courage to fight corruption unlike they, who did all the fiscalizing against city hall to protect the city from the tolerant policies of the Fernandez administration towards allies involved in corruption.

Again, it’s ironic that it is the obstructionists that are teaching Mayor Belen et al. a critical lesson that the latter refuses to accept – that only a strong political will can stop obstructionism – but she won’t listen.

Unfortunately for Dagupeños, Mayor Belen has indicated she will only file the cases if these are airtight and will convict the guilty.

But isn’t that for the Ombudsman to determine? If what she’s saying is she’s not confident with all the details of the rampant corruption that took place under the Lim administration that she meticulously exposed, then she should fire City Legal Officer Aurora Valle. Until she acts in that direction, she and her office will continue to be humiliated until her office loses all sense of credibility, being constantly torn to pieces in full view of the public every day.

Many among her supporters silently agree that only the filing of cases against those who pocketed scholarship funds that deprived hundreds of bona fide scholars, pocketed hundreds of thousands from overpricing of purchases in the city government and ghost deliveries, etc. will make the 7 obstructionists realize they can’t fight city hall the way they do.

Kung gusto nga may paraan, kung ayaw puro dahilan?

Until then, the continued non-passage of the PSB resolution in time will be used by the 7 epaLiFes against Mayor Belen et al. to the hilt and make people believe it’s Mayor Belen’s fault. (I’m told the 7 epaLiFes are already doing it).

Watch them both play their game of political brinkmanship at the expense of the city.  Right now, the seven are ahead.

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POLITICAL WILL IS ALL. The award conferred by the World Health Organization to Senator Pia Cayetano on the observance of the 2023 World No Tobacco Day, is not something one can dismiss as insignificant.

The lady senator fought off almost single-handedly the multi-million lobbying for years by cigarette companies preventing her from making it a law not to print the test and picture of results of cigarette-smoking. She didn’t budge.

Her political will in fighting for what is right for Filipinos proved to all that it is all that’s needed to win a fight for the people.

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HOLIDAY TRIPS. Reading our Associate Editor Eva Visperas’ account of her interview with VG Mark Lambino in her Newsy News column, it would appear that the process for the bidding of the Pangasinan Link Expressway (PLEX) has been carefully studied.

And I hope the process will result in what’s fair and legit.

But something remains amiss. VG Mark can put an end to all doubts about the Guico administration’s agenda if he preempts questions uppermost in most doubting Thomases’ minds with an explanation:

1. Who spent for the US holiday trips of the board members and key provincial officials? Ditto for the Japan holiday trips of the provincial hospital chiefs.
2. If these were official trips, VG Lambino should report how much the government spent for them, and under whose budget. If these were not official, who was the generous company that covered their expenses?? Pray tell!

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