By Ermin Garcia Jr

 

AFTER their temporary successors showed what it’s like to be productive, relevant, and committed lawmakers as the new majority, I have no doubt the old and now completely irrelevant 7 epaLiFes, are out of their wits trying to see how they could get out of the sinking hole they’re in.

Their series of dramatic ‘walk-outs’ not only failed to obstruct anything like they used to, but they now find themselves inviting more legal complaints against them today for being extra-stupid! Translation: Another 6 months suspension, this time for all of them.

Whoever taught the 7 epaLiFes barkada that making themselves marked “present” then delivering their monotonous manifestations, then staging a walk-out was the way to make a case of a “no-quorum”, has an IQ of 20! That 7 epaLiFes believed it to be so made them the city’s councilors with the lowest IQ ever!

They just proved to the Office of the President that not only 3 but all 7 deserved to be suspended!

Their walk-outs made them administratively and criminally liable with their malicious intent to stage the series of walk-out as a predicate for the filing of cases declaring sessions illegal!! Unfortunately for them, their “all-for-one” barkada mentality made them so obsessed with their role as obstructionists, that they refused to accept the reality before them that they have a role to perform as the new minority.

They had the chance to make the passed ordinances and resolutions more substantive with their inputs as fiscalizers, but they deliberately defaulted or perhaps simply didn’t know how legislation works as members of the minority.

On realizing the consequences of their barkada actions, they even tried another cover-up by making it appear that they applied for “privilege leaves”. But they forgot that there is VM Bryan Kua who knows all the technicalities and, naturally, nixed the move. There were no written requests on record!!

So next week, Councilors Dada Reyna-Macalanda, Celia Chua-Lim, Alvin Coquia and Marilou Fernandez will likely make their last final appearance as the long-lost minority members, raring to make their dramatic return as the uniformed villains vs. the city’s and residents’ development.

Expect them to declare all committees vacant, then appoint themselves to the same posts before they were ceremoniously unseated by law.  Just like that, as if nothing unusual happened in their pathetic lives as public servants. Then, as expected by most, they will pass resolutions making the passage of each of the approved ordinances and resolutions illegal.

Then, they move for the adjournment. Neat, huh?

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THEIR END IS NEAR. First of all, they continue to be delusionary and believe that they can undo everything that was legally accomplished. All the funds that they tried to block were already released, commitments with other agencies were finalized and the financial rewards and benefits due city hall employees, among them members of the INC sect, have been distributed.

Second, returning to their posts, assuming they can, will never be erased from the minds of the city residents who were deprived of the needs for the past two years.

The 7 epaLiFes might just as well kiss their political careers in the city goodbye. If they’re lucky, there just might be an executive order from PBBM requiring the services of a 7-member barkada with records of obstructionism to help in 2028. 

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SNAPPY SALUTE. I salute the leadership of Mayor Belen Fernandez who never looked back and focused on the programmed projects left shelved by the obstructionist opposition in the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

She knew there was very little time left to deliver the benefits due Dagupeños before the 2025 elections. She was out there like she won’t be reelected mayor, but of course, she will be! As her expected reelection is almost given, with no record of corruption but with more services delivered to the city’s elders and youth against a dynastic mayoralty team (mother Celia for mayor and son, Brian, for vice mayor) backed by the 7 epaLiFes who are anti-Dagupan, I simply don’t see how Belen and her team can lose.

The only way she and she can possibly lose is, if the 7 epaLiFes are able to make true their boast that INC is backing them all the way. But I certainly doubt the INC leadership in Dagupan will continue to ignore what the 7 epaLiFes did to the Dagupeños that included their INC members.

I also salute the young, dynamic Bolinao Mayor Alfonso Celeste who did the unthinkable at the right time – imposing the ban on the manufacture, sale, and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnics of any kind during the holiday period!

He is proof that our towns and cities need young idealist political leaders to allow themselves to be tempered by the pragmatism of the old that he learned from his elders. In this case, however, not even the old pragmatic practice of politics of his elders didn’t stand a chance with him.

Is there a anyone else?

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I hope to rejoin my PUNCHLINE program on IFM Dagupan’s Facebook tomorrow, Monday, 6:30 am. I think my shingles would have already left me by then

The ‘Punching Duo’ podcast with Gonz Duque will resume on January 4. Joins us at Facebook’s Sunday Garcia! 

Happy New Year, PUNCHERS! Let’s pray the year 2025 elections will lead our province to more positive developments in 2026 thru 2028!

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