Majority Opp. Lawmakers can Make, Unmake the Chief Exec

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Because of the cops loyal to Dagupan City Mayor Brian Lim who guarded two big villages in the coastal city to prevent the monies allegedly from the camp of the mayorship challenger Belen Fernandez (a former six years’ mayor) to circulate with a vengeance, the reelection victory of the almost three years’ Hizzoner Lim became a casualty.

The anger of the voters who were locked down on the eve of the election could be seen on the 67, 499 votes of Fernandez (a Chinese descent like Lim) versus the 53, 042 votes gained by the incumbent mayor. Geez, that’s a 144, 457 lead votes for incoming Mayor Belen – the Woman with Balls as based on her intrepidity to fight what is best for the Dagupenos.

SCHISM between the Legislative and the Executive Departments. Photo credit: Latestlaws.com

In their first match in 2019 election, Lim won a measly 1,239 votes to wear the mayoralty diadem of progressive city in Northern Luzon with more than a hundred thousand of voters.

But the acrimonious political drama in Bangus City – started in June 30, 2019 to the stonewalling of the mostly Fernandez ally Dads to deprive Lim of his more than a billion pesos’ budget - did not end on the night Fernandez was proclaimed as Mayor by the Commission on Election.

As I scanned the 100% accomplished data of Halalan 2022 of ABS-CBN, I saw Red Flag on the equation of the twelve members of the legislature (Pinoys call it Sangguniang Panlungsod). Seven of the new Councilors came from the ticket of Lim while three hailed from Fernandez’s slate.

“With the ex-officio members of the SP through the Presidents of the Liga ng mga Barangays and the Samahang Kabataan Federation, the balance-of-power (or power play or whatever you call it) tips on the allies of Lim on the legislature,” I told my son Jigger while browsing the data of Halalan 2022.

They can continue what the former allies of Fernandez by holding hostage projects and programs Mayor-Elect Belen Fernandez wants to pass.

The still to be passed billions of pesos 2022 annual budget under the Lim Administration can be allowed to go by the majority of the Councilors who procrastinated on it since late last year thus the local government is snagged with the 2021 reenacted budget sans the twenty percent Development Fund (psst construction and repair of infras and where the alleged S.O.Ps are embedded)   

But my eldest son – who is enchanted with the razzmatazz of the local government because he once worked there – told me that buying one councilor – says for a million or more pesos (through projects or cold cash, baby)  – can make the equation six – six where the tie breaker is Fernandez’s cousin and the incumbent Vice Mayor Bryan Kua.

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If some of the Dads of Dagupan can be procured through projects or whatever salamabit to collaborate whatever the chief of the executive department wants to foist so she can look popular after three years and help her reelection bid, could it happen to Pangasinan Governor-Elect Ramon “Monmon” Guico, III?

Recently, I asked him inside the session hall of the provincial lawmakers in capital town Lingayen about the impending schism from the eight new members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan comes June 30. These eight Dads are loyal to exiting Governor Amado Espino, III and his namesake father the former governor while Guico got only four provincial lawmakers.

With the two ex-officio members of the SP who come from the presidency of the Liga ng mga Barangay and the Samahan ng mga Kabataan Federation, the equation in the provincial board will be ten opposition members and four from your own party, will they prejudice the governor’s projects and programs through their obstruction on Resolutions and Ordinances?

The outgoing Pangasinan 5^th District Congressman Guico retort: “Well, kung hindi sila makiayon e di they did not perform their mandate as legislatures of the province. So, kailangan gamitin na rin nila kung ano iyong (inaudible)..”

READ MY OTHER BLOG:

The Lethal, Costly Weapons of a Cobra

MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

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I am a twenty years seasoned Op-Ed Political Writer in various newspapers and Blogger exposing government corruptions, public officials's idiocy and hypocrisies, and analyzing local and international issues. I have a master’s degree in Public Administration and professional government eligibility. I taught for a decade Political Science and Economics in universities in Metro Manila and cities of Urdaneta, Pangasinan and Dagupan. Follow me on Twitter @totoMortz or email me at totomortz@yahoo.com.