By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

THE weeks that passed had seen a lot of unprecedented political events. There was former President Rodrigo Duterte who locked horns with senators and the notorious QuadComm in the national level, in the provincial level, the escape of provincial officials from the province while Pangasinan was being threatened with calamities, and in Dagupan City, the surprise suspension of three councilors that resulted in switching of roles between the majority and the minority.

The political turmoil was triggered by the Marcos Jr. administration vs. the Dutertes with targets on their backs; a case of reckless imprudence on the part of the provincial officials’ leisure group travel in the middle of series of typhoons that threatened Pangasinan, and karma befallin the political careers of 3 epaLiFes at the Dagupan sanggunian.

From where we sit, there was arrogance and feeling of entitlement in the air.

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GUICO ADMIN’S TOURS TO USA, SPAIN. Here’s the news that the Guico administration tried to keep away from the public, particularly from The PUNCH. After all, it was another two secret junket trips overseas of provincial officials following the two junket trips four months ago. 

These are two trips that the provincial auditor should flag also as possible graft cases because these travels, too, have had no relevance to their duties.  

The first recent was the Oct. 31-Nov. 20, 2024 trip of medical officers to California, USA, ostensibly for “benchmarking” hospital services at the Standford Hospital as if such a benchmarking could not be sufficient with visits and briefings from St. Luke’s Hospitals in BGC and QC, Makati Medical Center, and the Asian Medical Center in Alabang.

Led by Provincial Administrator Ely Patague, the group was composed of Dr. Pablito Banta, Mapandan Community Hospital chief; Dr. Julian Rose Jr., Pozorrubio Community Hospital chief; Dra. Mabel Pasaoa, consultant to the Governor and a Dra. Alma Estrada.

Inexplicable was the inclusion of Provincial Assessor Geronimo Abad, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (PDRRMO) Rhodyn Luchinvar Oro, Provincial Jail Warden Lovell Dalisay, and Lovely Abad, “OIC Municipal Assessor ng Labrador, Pangasinan” for the benchmarking in Stanford Hospital!!

There’s the giveaway that it was another junket organized by the Guico administration.

Then on November 1-10, another group traveled to Spain. This time, the group was composed of Provincial Board Members Apolonia Bacay, Heidi Pacheco, Marinor De Guzman, Rosary ‘Chinky’ Tababa, Jan Louie Sison, Salvador Perez Jr., Carolyn Sison (PCL), Raul Sabangan (Liga ng mga Barangay), Joyce Fernandez (SK), Sanggunian Secretary Verna Perez.  They were joined by Tourism Officer Malou Elduayan, and General Services Officer Janelle Rosario.

Our source reported P4.3-Million in cash advances were done to finance the trip. Why??

Recall that on June  to June 9, 2024, the first unexplained overseas travel of 21 provincial officials were made to San Francisco, USA. On that trip reportedly were Vice Gov. Mark Lambino, Board Members Apolonia Bacay , Philip Cruz, Heidi Pacheco, Shiela Baniqued ,Vici Ventanilla, Marinor De Guzman, Rosary Chinky Perez, Jan Louie Sison, Salvador Dong Perez, Carol Dizon (PCL President) and SP Secretary Verna Perez.

They were joined by Provincial Assessor Geronimo Abad, Provincial Population Officer Ellsworth Gonzales, Social Welfare Development Officer Annabel Roque, Tourism Officer Malou Elduayan, PESO Officer Richelle Raguindin, Planning Officer Rowena Ignacio, Budget Officer Dolores Vinuya, Asst. Prov’l Agriculturist Nestor Batalla, Executive Assistant II Ron Castillo and Consultant to the Governor Atty. Candice Palagod.

In two weeks time, another group traveled to Japan!

What were those trips for?? For their blind loyalty? So pray tell, Mr. Guico, did you authorize this expenditure exclusively for board members the department heads? And did the department heads accept the funds, knowing it was not for the improvement of services to their constituents?

(God forbid this will be the kind of governance that Mrs. Maan Guico, the governor’s wife, will employ if she succeeds and wins the mayoral contest in Urdaneta City).

Paging the Ombudsman. Help stop the syndicated graft practices in the provincial government!

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FPRRD VS. SEN. RISA, QUACOMM. The live coverages of the confrontations between FPRRD and his accusers in both chambers showed many predictable and amusing events.

Those who were fortunate to watch the “championship bout” between FPRRD and his once loyalists and now detractors were surely entertained by determined efforts by hypocritical congressmen who found power and acquired illegal wealth in their positions, to paint the 6-year champion of families as a mass murderer.

The responses of FPRRD, on the other hand, were almost all predictable except his call to the ICC to complete its investigation and if need be, he was willing to travel to The Hague. His declarations: “I take full responsibility for the war on drugs…” and “I will always defend the policemen who followed my orders…” were consistent.

What was endlessly amusing was how the congressmen propounded their questions with conclusions of his guilt and how FPRRD brushed them off, belittling their arguments.

The QuadComm even attempted to intimidate him by inviting former Sens. Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes to be seated near him. He showed he was neither afraid nor intimated by the two, the congressmen and the senators. I thought his accusers were even more intimidated when he refused their offer to be excused from the session halls because of his old age and poor health.

It was apparent that the QuadComm chairmen and some members were tip-toeing around him. It was almost comic.

What was more ironic was hearing FPRRD starting his responses with “Sir” (addressing the chairman) while committee members were disrespectful, and referred to FPRRD as plain “Duterte.”

The responses of FPRRD could be seen as bold if not dangerously risky, playing into the hands of his accusers but were consistent in his conviction that he did what he knew was best as accountable mayor of Davao City and as president of the Philippines.

I wonder if the November 21 hearing will be just as entertaining, that is if FPRRD agrees to spar with the QuadComm again after that more than 10 hours of trading blows with them last Wednesday.

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THE EPALIFES AS MINORITY.   The 7 epaLiFe councilors that lorded over the city council since 2022 suddenly found themselves with a role that they despised but continue to wear their obnoxious barkada uniforms.

Gone are the days when they could casually block the passage of annual and supplemental budgets or resolution without much ado while taking delight in humiliating a mayor appealing for their consideration.

In their current hated positions, they actually have a chance to redeem themselves and demonstrate they still are statesmen fiscalizing the majority. Alas, they can’t move on.

It was pathetic to see and hear Councilor Celia Chua-Lim merely still insisting simply that the 3 did not commit a blunder in the performance of their duties and then lead a walkout. I thought she could make a difference. She can’t. She won’t.

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