Ugly Politicians in this City

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

The majority of the opposition councilors in the Sangguniang Panlungsod (lawmaking body) identified with Dagupan City's former mayor Brian Lim had shown lately to Mayor Belen T. Fernandez and her allied solons who’s the boss in the august chamber by not confirming the appointment of her Administrator.

Before the seven opposition Dads assumed office in June 30, I wrote that it would only take two of them to desert in a quid pro quo (like being paid by hefty sums – damn, could be millions of dough - or given a share of some projects where the duo could get a cut) to succumb and eventually joined the party of Fernandez to make the equation in the SP 7-5 in favor to the party of former Mayor Belen.

Photo credit: Quotesgram.com

The present political equation of the minority in the august chamber is three regular Councilors plus the ex-officio members of the Presidents of the Liga ng mga Barangays and the Samahang Kabataan Federation of five legislatures allied with Mayor Belen while those loyal to former Mayor Lim are seven dads.

In the sideline of the inauguration of Mayor Fernandez in June 30, 2022 one of the three minority councilors came to my table for a tête-à-tête.

I told him that they need to persuade two of the dads in the Lim’s party to turncoat so the executive department could implement its programs and avoid any legislative conundrums.

The Councilor – one of the few intelligent Dads – told me he is looking too for that “vulnerable” Councilor in Lim’s Party to go on leave every time there is a votation of a resolution or ordinance needed by the Fernandez Administration.

But I differed to him.

“Pangit naman iyong kada botohan mag li-leave of absence iyong isa o iyong dalawang councilors na sinasabi ninyo”.

I advised him to instigate that Dad to defect to their party instead of taking leave of absence every time there is a division of the house.

“Oo nga, ano?!” he quipped.

He said the lawmaker I’d referred used to be their party mate.

But until now the that particular Dad did not budge. It only shows that money is not everything in this city whose gullible voters have been perennially known to vote for the highest bidder.

Geez, was it John Lennon or Paul McCartney who shouted the first stanza of that rock song’s Can’t Buy Me Love?

That love is his uncompromising loyalty to former Mayor Brian and the mother and daughter Councilors Celia and Irene Lim-Acosta - the bastoneros of the Sanggunian.

With the non-confirmation of the city administrator who is a lawyer and some muscle flexing of the majority like torpedoing a proposed ordinance to lower the boatmen’s fee sponsored by the minority lawmaker who heeded the call of the mayor as urgent bill. After killing it, they (the majority) sponsored it in a committee hearing so they could take credit, salamabit, when it becomes a law. This only showed their gross abuse of power. We call it the Tyranny of the Majority, their sheer hubris to perpetuate their whims and caprices. They wanted to show too to Mayor Belen that dark days’ loom for her administration just like what her then majority councilors put schism on legislation and barred Mayor Brian Lim to function effectively.

One of the darkest hours of Lim was when the dominant dads under the perceive influence of Fernandez – a former six years’ mayor – procrastinate to approve the P1.38 billion 2022 budget of Lim. They approved it only when Fernandez defeated Lim in the May 22 election.

Fernandez and her Dads defanged Lim to implement his 20 percent development fund allocated yearly for infrastructure construction and those other appropriations intended for the social services of the people of Dagupan City.

With the table now turned against Mayor Belen, the opposition SB members relish how the former will suffer just like what she and her dads had done to their patron. Expect to see the Fernandez Administration reels with no new budget for fiscal year 2023 and probably up to year 2025 – the year she and Lim will have their rubber match.

“You reap what you sow” says of a trite adage.

But their constituents salamabit – the 174, 302 million populations (2020 census) – become a collateral damage for the absences of any new infras and services as their bickering and power play worsen.

Woe to the Dagupenos, they have to bear with the schism of their ugly politicians who have score to settle.

(Send comments to totomortz@yahoo.com)