DAGUPAN City is trailing eight other cities in Region 1 in t performance in 2023, no thanks to the seven obstructionist councilors in the Sangguniang Panlungsod who blocked if not delayed passage of the 2023-2024 annual budgets and supplementary budgets.

This was the terse explanation of Mayor Fernandez in an interview by Orly Navarro on DWIZ last July 16, saying Dagupan City operated with only a reenacted budget for almost one year while other cities were fortunate to work with their 2023 budgets.

“If I had a supportive Sanggunian, it t would have been the other way around,” she said.

The 2023 annual budget in Dagupan was passed only on September 26, eight months late and was eventually approved  providentially that year, because three majority councilors went on leave while the remaining four participated in the session via the Zoom platform.

But still, the majority councilors (Councilors Redford Erfe-Mejia, Librada Reyna-Macalanda, Alfie Fernandez, Celia-Chua Lim, Victoria Lim-Acosta, Alvin Coquia and Marilou Fernandez) questioned the passage of the same, claiming it was passed only by a simple majority of the councilors, not by a “qualified majority,” a position that was dismissed by the regional trial court.

Then on October 10, the session became rowdy anew that led to name-calling when Vice Mayor and presiding officer Bryan Kua sustained his ruling that only those who attended the session that passed the annual budget can approve the minutes of the same. This led to court suits now pending in the Municipal Trial Court in Cities

Fernandez said the majority councilors again denied the 2023 supplemental budget, like it did to the 2022.

She had to seek help from senators and congressmen and various national government agencies for the implementation of some critical projects, among them Senators Imee Marcos, Jinggoy Estrada, Francis Tolentino, Riza Hontiveros, Sonny Angara, the incoming secretary of education; Grace Poe and Reps. Toff de Venecia, Abono partylist Rep. Robert Estrella Jr. and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Among the national government agencies that helped Dagupan were DPWH, DOH, DOL, DA and DOST.

Fernandez said Dagupan will be back as a first class city the minute the seven opposition councilors are out of the SP. (Leonardo Micua)

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