By Leonardo Micua

 

A recent move by the majority councilors in the Dagupan City council is deeply disconcerting. They tried but failed to ‘disapprove’ the minutes of the September 26 session, when the P1.3 billion annual budget of Dagupan was passed. Then they initially asked that approval of the minutes of the October 3 and October 10 sessions removed from the records of the Sanggunian.

Councilor Dada Macalanda amended her motion to a “deferment” instead of a complete “disapproval” after Councilor Jigs Seen pointed out that deleting past sessions’ minutes is prohibited by the Local Government Code.

It was not the first time that the majority showed propensity to disapprove minutes when these do not favor their cause. Last February, majority members approved to delete minutes of the regular session when Mayor Belen Fernandez appeared before the SP and appealed for the approval of the 2023 annual city budget. They even walked out on Mayor Belen to manifest their disapproval and disrespect towards her and her office. That action not only insulted the Office of the Mayor but also undermined the democratic processes that should be upheld within the council, especially by the seven councilors in the majority.

Councilor and Minority Floor Leader Michael Fernandez reminded his colleagues that the approval of minutes of past sessions is mandatory and required by the Local Government Code.

But while the majority in the SP is blatantly violating the Local Government Code and the law by disapproving minutes of past sessions, the worst part is they seem to be  getting away with it because no one has filed a complaint with the proper authorities about this glaring violation.

The approval of the minutes of the October 10 session is crucial because it was during that session when the majority councilors resorted to using profanities to insult Vice Mayor Bryan Kua, simply because they disagreed with his ruling that only those present during the September 26 session that passed the annual budget could vote on the approval of the minutes.

Interestingly, the minutes of the October 10 session, as well as the video footage of the same, were among the evidence submitted by VM Kua and the five minority councilors to support their complaints for illegal detention, oppression, and slander against three majority councilors—Redford Erfe-Mejia, Irene Lim-Acosta, and Alfie Fernandez – filed before the city prosecutor’s office.

Councilor Red Erfe-Mejia was seen on video confronting Secretary Ryan Ravanzo for recording their failure to disapprove the minutes of September 26.

Given their selective appreciation of minutes of sessions, I seriously doubt if the majority councilors will also disapprove the minutes of their October 17 session when they approved amendments and added new provisions to their Internal Rules and Procedures (IRP) to consolidate more power in their hands, never mind that these new provisions do not allow them to hold more authority than the Local Government Code that created Sanggunians, and should not supersede the decisions of the Supreme Court.

According to Councilor Lino Fernandez, one member of the majority councilors inadvertently admitted that they “genuinely” intended to pass the annual budget, but “naunahan ninyo lang kami“.  After trying to delete past minutes of sessions? Speaking of mental dishonesty.

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A worrisome situation on the well-being of approximately 4,300 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Pangasinan is developing.  They now find themselves in the crossfire amidst the ongoing conflict between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas in the Gaza strip.

These hardworking individuals, who have ventured to the Palestine-Israel area, in pursuit of better opportunities to support their families, have become collateral damages themselves.

One of the 4,300 Pangasinan OFWs, Angelyn Aguirre from Balagan, Binmaley died during the first day of attacks on Israel. She and her patient were inside the air raid shelter where they sought refuge when Hamas operatives barged inside and shot them.

The safety and security of our OFWs must be a top priority. But while repatriations have started, it’s still uncertain if all are willing to be repatriated. This task proves to be quite challenging also due to certain circumstances.

However, it appears that the primary challenge lies in the fact that Egypt has yet to open its borders to refugees seeking safe passage.  Our returning OFWs need to use it as their ‘humanitarian corridor’ due to the blockade imposed by Israel to the entire Gaza strip.

Like many Pangasinenses, we pray for the safe repatriation of our OFWs back to the Philippines and their home province, Pangasinan. #

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