By Leonardo Micua

 

WATCHING the inaugural session of the Dagupan Sangguniang Panlungsod on Tuesday – together with media colleagues Eva, Violy and Lina – I cannot imagine from my seat how Councilor Dada Reyna, as the lone opposition in the city council dominated by the allies of Mayor Belen Fernandez, can possibly make her presence felt as the 10th elected city councilor.

Now occupying the last seat in the last row of chairs for councilors, Reyna is the last remnant of the notorious Majority 7 in the previous council from 2022 to 2025 that plotted to deny the administration of Mayor Fernandez a timely annual budget or a supplemental budget.

The prospect that she would be given a dose of her own medicine came following the election of Councilor Joey Tamayo as presiding pro tempore and Councilor Michael Fernandez as majority floor leader.

There was no mention of Reyna becoming the minority floor leader as the lone wolf in the council, where the allies of Mayor Belen Fernandez and Vice Mayor Bryan Kua hold sway, 11-1.

Kua argued that only the majority now exists in the Sanggunian since there is only one standing on the opposite side of the fence.

Councilor Joey Tamayo, a lawyer, explained that with due respect to his Kumare Dada, she cannot claim to be the minority floor leader because she has no one else to nominate her as such, and to second any motion she makes.

In her lonesome, she cannot even object to a measure since no one will be seconding her motion.

The biggest blow to Dada came when she was not included even as a member in any of the committees.

But as a veteran legislator, who is about to complete her final term of office in her second tour of duty as a councilor,  Dada knows that in a democracy, the majority always rules.

Although she had already shaken hands with Mayor Belen, Reyna chose not to make a hand signal “isa pa” when the chief executive had a photo op with the councilors after their inaugural session.

That’s understandable. She had been with the LIFE team all her political life and will still root for them if they stage a comeback in 2028.

As the highest opposition leader elected in Dagupan City, Reyna may figure prominently in the reorganization of her ill-fated LiFe team and prepare them to stage a new return bout with the forces of Mayor Belen.

Or will they, after their limo suffered a flat tire that did not bring them to their destination in 2025?

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Social media is abuzz with malicious insinuations every time there is flooding on Rizal Street and the downtown area of Dagupan, all the way up to Burgos Street, after every heavy rain and high tide. 

Some socmed influencers, identified with the Lims, continue to blame Mayor Belen for allowing the elevation of roads and construction of wider drainage systems by the Department of Public Works and Highways, forgetting that these were done at no cost to the city and its people.

They forgot that the past Lim administration installed a large flood gate and pumping station near Rizal Street as its flood mitigation initiative, but it did not work even in one instance during Lim’s time, and even today.

This project of the Lim administration was among several red-flagged by the Commission on Audit.

In an interview at Tim Horton’s, Mayor Fernandez revealed that the contractor of this useless project is a certain Acosta from Calasiao, whom we presume is related to former Councilor Irene Lim Acosta and, of course, the Lim family.

She said the constant flooding of Burgos Street was on account of its small and narrow drainage system, which was constructed by the past administration. 

Meanwhile, she announced that the construction of Perez Boulevard is now almost finished, and work on the PNR Road by the city is ongoing.

The PNR Road, since time immemorial, always gets flooded every heavy rain and high tide, Fernandez said, adding that her administration is the only one that is addressing the problem by elevating the road to serve as an alternate route for east-bound vehicles and minimize traffic gridlock along Arellano Street and A.B. Fernandez Avenue East.

She urged residents near PNR Road to bear a little patience and she will do everything to speed up the completion of the project. 

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