By Leonardo Micua

 

FROM where I sit, I can only deduce that the majority in the Sangguniang Panlungsod was working on another game plan when they forced a special session to be held last April 12 at past 4:00 p.m., to pass a new Annual Investment Program (AIP), to amend the version they passed last March 28, even knowing Mayor Belen Fernandez already vetoed it.

What purpose could the passing of a new AIP that was already vetoed and a new annual budget that was set to be vetoed by the city executive, serve them? There is none! It can only to save them from certain lawsuits for dipping their fingers into the AIP, revising it and squeezing it into pulp to make it ineffective.

Well, the seven-man majority already violated the law when they revised the P2.188 billion AIP proposed to the Sanggunian by Mayor Belen Fernandez. They are merely supposed to review it and just let it go because it is only a program crafted by her administration with the endorsement of the Local Development Council.

Perhaps, they wanted to right the wrong that they committed against the Department of Education when they slashed the P46 million proposed Special Education Fund (SEF), the just share of the City School Board from collected real property taxes in Dagupan, as provided for in the Local Government Code.

Such violation is glaring and the seven members of the SP majority cannot evade responsibility for it nor hide it from the prying eyes of the Dagupan pubic, particularly the media.

As we have gleaned from the veto of Mayor Belen, the AIP that was submitted to her on April 5 showed the unjustifiable slashing of the SEF fund from the AIP and from the budget. What they did was, in fact, a criminal offense.

This criminal offense is punishable by dismissal from the service of the public officer or officials and his or her perpetual disqualification of holding public office, including imprisonment.

The confession of the chair of the committee on finance that he made the mistake in the preparation of the AIP as well as in the annual budget, thereby absolving his six colleagues from that faux pax, will not mitigate the gravity of the case against them. Only their allies will believe that but not the people, certainly not the Ombudsman.

We learned before our press deadline that the seven majority councilors will force the passage of a new ordinance in their next session on April 18, for a revised annual budget knowing that the first one they passed was already partially vetoed by the executive.

The seven majority councilors passed the amended AIP despite the warning of Councilor Michael Fernandez that their mistake committed cannot be corrected by another mistake!

Erfe-Mejia and his group even conducted another committee hearing last Thursday (April 13) inviting members of the city’s finance committee for the purpose of passing a new annual budget that they believe they can ram it down Belen’s throat.

So, if they pass another annual budget on April 18, it will again be another exercise in futility because it’s meant only to give them a forum to again grandstand and make it appear they are fighting for the welfare of Dagupan. Who will believe them now?

It behooves the DILG as well as the Department of Budget and Management to step into the picture because the seven majority councilors appear bent on destroying the institution that is Dagupan City.

The die is cast because Councilor Michael Fernandez and his fellow minority members already referred the outrageous IP and annual budget approved by a vote of 7-5 on March 28 to the DILG and DBM.

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