Not daughter, like father
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
HERE’S one clear example of hypocrisy of the 7 epaLiFes.
Dagupan City Councilor Irene Lim-Acosta, delivered her privilege speech last October 17, mainly with her question: “Saan kilala ang Dagupan?” and her proposition to quote: “Our vow is to do what is legal and shun the illegal. Our vow is good leadership and not destructive politics. Our vow is to serve, not self-serve.” Wow!
I must admit it’s a good prose by the right person and a reasonable claim by well-meaning elected councilors. But she can’t possibly and credibly say these for herself and her group because she and her barkada were caught on video, mouths spewing insults and cusses like street thugs or bratty kids in the block, that no decent, educated and respectable politician ever did like she did.
Knowing the late Mayor Benjie Lim personally, remembering how well-mannered her gentleman father was, I won’t be surprised if thousands who knew him, too,f elt how his father must be turning in his grave when she launched a shocking personal assault on the person of Vice Mayor Bryan Kua, in front of her colleagues and those in the audience.
Mayor BSL and I had serious differences with his governance, and critical as I was of his activities, he and I remained cordial in person. His only dig about me was his funny and absurd claim that The PUNCH was owned by his detractor Mayor Belen, all because I was critical of his administration. Other than that, I never had to suffer a voice full of venom from him, like her daughter Irene did to VM Bryan Kua. To see her dutiful mother Councilor Celia Lim doing all to restrain her physically, covering her filthy mouth, protecting her from appearing like an uncivilized, uncouth person, said it all about herself.
Why she wanted to be seen and heard like her misguided idol Councilor Red Erfe-Mejia, beats me but surely, it was a scene that cannot be deleted from the minutes of that session day.
Councilor Irene must know that there’s no other way to redeem herself but to issue a sincere public apology for her utter display of absence of good manners and right conduct, both as a politician and as a person and daughter of respectable parents Benjie and Celia Lim. But to make her apology credible, she can try leading support for the 2024 annual budget.
But knowing her today, that’d be too much to expect of her.
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UNPARLIAMENTARY AND UNCOUTH. The continued efforts of the majority block led by Councilors Red, Alfie Fernandez and Dada Reyna to block, delete and remove minutes of regular sessions of past sessions are not helping their cause to redeem themselves. They are simply exposing themselves further as completely ignorant of basic laws and rules in legislation.
In normal parliamentary procedure, the most they can do is seek correction of misquoted quotations, or inaccurate statement of facts.
I never heard of any unlettered legislator in the world actually making a motion to delete or remove entire minutes. They don’t even do that in high school student councils!
In fact, to remove or delete full minutes is tantamount to lying to themselves that they were not present and, therefore, the session never happened. Tsk-tsk.
It’s time Councilors Red, Alfie, Dada, Celia, Irene, Alvin and Marilou to move on from their worst political and personal debacle and embarrassment and take the remaining months of their term to act and serve like public servants like they never did.
But then again, seeing them humbled and contrite is not going to happen! They will likely remain wearing their epaLiFe uniforms projecting their pathetic arrogance.
If Dagupeños want to stop seeing them, making a fool of themselves at the expense of the people’s benefits, they can actually be promptly suspended for at least six months by the Ombudsman. Let’s pray City Legal Officer Atty Aurora Valle will find the courage to file the case before the Ombudsman for the city government. Takot pa rin.
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CASE STUDY. Meanwhile, the 7 epaLiFes continue to their display of ignorance of the law.
They think they can erase, remove and delete the powers of the office of the vice mayor by simply amending their crafted Internal Rules of Procedures whose original provisions already reek of abominable ignorance and insanity. Totally insane!
For the group to think they are above the constitution and the Local Government Code, they just confirmed that they have lost it completely. Their case makes a good study on how greed and negativity in politics can cause suicide brought about by deep frustration, aggressive actions, self-absorbed aggrandizement and arrogance. Of course, I pray none of them will come close to becoming suicidal over their eventual embarrassing irrelevance.
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FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE. Here‘s an activity that mayors and provincial officials should seriously consider attending.
The 3rd Philippine Leadership Forum set on November 11, 2023, 8:00 am to 5:00p.m. at the University of the Philippines – BGC campus on 32nd St. in Taguig City, will focus on discussion of relevant, socio-economic, political, technology and management issues to serve as framework for excellence in national and local leadership and quality governance.
One topic will be discussed is the SC’s ruling on Mandanas petition by Batangas Gov. Hermilando Madanas himself, specifically on “Agenda for Sustainable Development and Equitable Progress” in the regions.
Invited as panelists are DTI Usec. Rafaelita Aldaba, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, former UP Los Baños chancellor Dr. Ruben Villareal, Dr. Bernardo Villegas of University of Asia & the Pacific. It will be moderated by Atty. Jose Roy III.
The main organizer is Manny SD Lopez, a distinguished scholar and economist. I would consider him the best economic presidential adviser for PBBM administration that the president never had, given his very timely and relevant recommendations to the national government.#
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