By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

THE 7 epaLiFes are at it again, this time obstructing and demonizing the ongoing road and drainage elevation project, a major program of the DPWH in Dagupan City funded by the national government, all because it is being implemented during the Belen Fernandez administration.

The motive to hold committee hearings to assess public  sentiments is clearly to make the Fernandez administration appear as the villain, the cause of their miseries.  But of course, as they expected, all the affected business establishments and residents cannot but complain about the major disruption in their activities at the public hearings.

What the 7 epaLiFes, business owners, residents, however, did not expect was a surprise revelation of the DPWH. The 7 epaLiFes were so focused on discrediting Mayor Belen, as usual, that they failed to anticipate a critical information from the DPWH that boomeranged on their sinister plot.

How can they not be stunned when the untold truth is, that the flood control project was requested in 2021 by the city government, meaning when Brian Lim, their boss, was the mayor!  The DPWH revelation actually exposed another “foot-in-mouth virus” infecting the 7 epaLiFes again.

Throughout, they believed that it was Mayor Belen who initiated the project, which was why it presented them an opportunity to discredit her again, only to be told -“Ask your boss”!

I have no reason to doubt the revelation of DPWH.  To them, establishing how and who initiated the program was never an issue so until the agenda became obvious to the DPWH, they decided to set things straight.

With this new twist in their plot and agenda, it makes many wonder why the 7 epaLiFes’ boss, ex-Mayor Brian Lim, didn’t bother to inform his fellow conspirators about his “grand, timely and beneficial” project meant to minimize the severe impact of flooding in the city’s business district? Was it because it was the next relevant issue to trash the Fernandez administration with?

Well, it’s evident that the 7 epaLiFes already knew the truth even without seeing  the official documents. I note that since the end of the third hearing public hearing with the DPWH, 7 epaLiFes have been unusually, extremely quiet. They can’t handle the truth? (Sounds familiar?). Not quite.

Here’s what I think they’ll mouth in chorus  -“It was a good idea requesting for the study and project it in 2021 but the Belen administration should be faulted for allowing it to proceed knowing how it could seriously affect the residents.”

Know what they are, they will likely say this with a straight, poker face!

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QUESTIONS, OPTIONS NOT RAISED. The affected business owners were one in slamming the road and drainage elevation construction because the committees leading the public hearings never asked the following:

1. “If we stop the elevation projects today, are you aware that your establishments will surely be constantly flooded knee-high in no time, damaging your equipment, furniture and goods each time?”
2.  “What is the better option? To close shop until the construction in each area is completed then get guaranteed protection from flood for years or to keep closing the shop each time torrential rains and high tide hit the city?”

It can help the affected business owners to calm their nerves if they take time to seek the opinions of owners and residents whose roads were elevated since.

Ask: Did your flood situation improve?

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NO POLITICAL WILL? Mayor Belen Fernandez was definitely ill-advised to seek the legal opinion of the DBM on what legal actions could be taken by the local government, after declaring the annual budget “inoperable in its entirety.”  It only showed how bad the legal support the mayor is getting.  Or she was fishing for one alibi and reason not to file the criminal and administrative cases against the 7 epaLiFes like she declared she would. Or is she really as clueless as the city legal officer, Atty. Aurora Valle?

Didn’t the mayor say, Ms. Valle was already in that stage finalizing the legal documents for the filing of cases? So why did Atty. Valle still make her seek the DBM’s legal opinion? If any studied legal opinion is needed, that can only come from the DILG. Isn’t the enforcement of the Local Government Code the business of the DILG??

But there is one established authority that can decide whether there is basis to file charges against the likes of Councilors Red Erfe-Mejia, Alfie Fernandez, Celia Lim, Irene Lim-Acosta, Dada Reyna-Macalanda, Alvin Coquia and Marilou Fernandez, that’s the Ombudsman!

If Atty. Valle still doesn’t know that, then the city is doomed with a city legal officer like her.    Didn’t she review the cases filed against provincial board members of Quezon province that resulted in the suspension of all the board members on their failure to pass and adopt the province’s annual budget? I’m sure the law students under the tutelage of Dean Farah Decano at the Lyceum Northwestern University can confidently give the mayor a more decisive, studied basis for filing the series of legal actions vs 7 epaLiFes and against the enemies of the city being protected by the 7 epaLiFes.

Kawawang Dagupan City, How will Mayor Belen keep herself surrounded with persons who only care to protect their personal interests?

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NAÏVE DEPARTMENT HEADS. Dagupan City government’s 27 department heads move to sign a petition addressed to the majority pleading for their undelivered salary increases was unfortunate, particularly if it was Mayor Belen who gave them the go-signal to go ahead with their petition. While nobody can blame them for coming forward with their pleas (for their families’ cause), it ironically came across as a loss of confidence in Mayor Belen’s ability to win for their cause.  It was a picture of key officials fighting for themselves without her, worse, no longer even for the city’s cause.

Worse, they were naive to believe that a mere petition with their names on it will lead to the passage of the 2023 annual budget. They’re appealing to a group that does not think for anyone’s benefit but for their circle. They reportedly initially wanted at least P100,000 in monthly allowances for each of them (and the ante has been increased since with each month that passed with no “intervention” from Mayor Belen).  Perhaps P200k monthly for each?

Besides, will the 7 epaLiFes be willing to give up their “dream” for the measly salary increases of the city hall employees? At this stage, they already believe they already have everything to gain: if they can’t get their money, at least they can go to the 2025 campaign with most of the city hall employees by their side, they who will blame Mayor Belen for their misfortune because she didn’t care to compromise “small things” for the benefit of the city. That will be their narrative.

Who says the 7 epaLiFes won’t and can’t turn the tables on her? Of course, they can!!

But there’s one thing that will stop them and their cohorts – to charge them before the Ombudsman. And if found guilty for violating a series of laws, the facts and merits of the cases that found them guilty will make it difficult for them to fabricate their “facts”.

But this brings us back to the unsettled question: Does Mayor Belen have the political will to shun her confidantes’ personal interests and go all out with guns blazing for that is right, files the cases, left and right… with a “bahala na si Batman” attitude!

As of today, she has not shown she has it to do what’s right for the city and the city hall employees. So, I’d like her to prove me wrong, and damn me for unfairly prejudging her!

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