Opp. Members Defect to this Mayor?

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

The heydays of the dominant opposition solons in the legislative body (Sangguniang Panlungsod) in Dagupan City seem to be over in more than six months of schism after two of its members “defected” to the minority members who are allied with Mayor Belen T. Fernandez.

Councilors Alvin Coquia and Malou Fernandez declared their cooperation to all and sundry to pass needed legislative measures – like the P1.3 billion snagged 2023 budget – in the first Local Development Council (LDC) meeting held last January 16 in the city.

Opposition members and Dagupan City Coun. Alvin Coquia (from left to right) and Malou Fernandez, Minority Floor Leader Michael Fernandez, Mayor Belen T. Fernandez, and Vice Mayor  Dean Bryan L. Kua. Photo for posterity taken after the Local Development Council meeting.

A day before the LDC meeting, Mayor Fernandez posted on her Facebook account about the “pasabog (explosion)” she would tell her constituents the following day.

Excerpt of what Coquia said: Kaya po kami nandito para ipakita na kami po ay sumusuporta sa inyong liderato Mayor (crowd applauded wildly while some Fernandez supporters cheered “I loved you, Alvin!”). Nandito po kami para pakinggan po ang inyong program. Siyempre alam naman po natin  sa amin po majority naghihintay na kaya po na magkaroon tayo ng paguusap upang maplansa po ang hindi po mapagkaunawaan.

Excerpt of what Coun. Fernandez, a dentist, has said: Iyong aming hinaing sinabi ni Councilor Alvin iyong unity na lang talaga. Ang inaasaha - asahan ng bawat isa majority one minority iyon po ang kailangang natin.

Politics in the Bangus City have been polarized even before Fernandez defeated last year in an acrimonious election former Mayor Brian Lim. The rivals are competitors in the chains of malls in Northern and Central Luzon. Fernandez allies in the lawmaking body in 2021 and the first semester of 2022 stalled Lim’s proposed P1.38 billion city’s budget. They approved it only in the transition period before Fernandez – a former mayor defeated by Lim in the 2019 election -  assumed office at noon of June 30, 2022.

In that assumption, Fernandez saw the political legislative landscape reverse from those dominant solons who were friendly to her to the hostile one – seven of them versus five with Fernandez – who would not acquiesce on the proposed legislative measures from the Mayor’s office. They even procrastinated or have the intention not to approve the P1.3 billion for this year.

Retribution or poetic justice, eh, against Fernandez who power played earlier against their mayor?

Without the P1.3 billion budget, the city could not have new infrastructure and other projects because the Local Government Code bar a local government unit to implement them. It could only function through the reenacted budget – as provided by Section 323 of the LGC - by funding those salaries and wages of existing positions, statutory and contractual obligations, and essential operating expenses authorized in the annual and supplemental budgets for the preceding year.

Any corrupt mayor or a governor in any part of the Philippines could be marginalized in his or her preparation for the next election in 2025 without the 20% development projects (Section 287 LGC). A P1.3 billion, for example, means absence of P260 million or P780 million in three years’ term. Customarily, 20 % s.o.p (euphemism of cut) from the project contractors means P156 million lost from that P780 million projects.

During the inauguration of Fernandez and her three councilors’ Jigz Seen, Dennis Canto, and Michael Fernandez as newly minted elective officials, I jocularly told one of the Dads that “You got three regular Councilors plus the ex-officio members of the Presidents of the Liga ng mga Barangays and the Samahang Kabataan Federation, that’s five. Lim got seven Dads and you need to buy through sums (that’s million of pesos or more my dear readers) or give the vulnerable Dad supervision of some projects (where the Councilor can get his S.O.P or share from the contractor) to make him susceptible and makes the political equation six-six”.

 It means Mayor Fernandez’s allied lawmakers become six versus the six Councilors of Lim that transforms Vice Mayor Dean Brian L. Kua - the Veem and cousin of Fernandez – to become a tie breaker in favor of the new Mayor’ programs that need legislative approval.

Now let’s go back to what happened a few days ago. What prompted the defection of Coquia and Fernandez (a best friend of opposition stalwart solon Celia Lim - the mother of the former Hizonner)? Was it because of the chutzpah of the mayor through quip pro quo (like psychological, spiritual, or financial, salamabit!) or was the duo was just patriotic to serve the Dagupenos whose more than two thousands of scholars have been groping in the dark for their tuition fees from the public coffer.

Or they were just there because the LGC says that members of the LDC are all the councilors of a local government unit and they should attend its meeting. Or their presence had the imprimatur from the opposition leader Councilor Red E. Mejia and former mayor Lim’s mother Councilor Celia Lim because earlier in their session Department of Interior & Local Government Provincial Director Virgilio Sison warned them that an administrative case of dereliction of duty looms if they – the vengeful-we-hate-Belen Fernandez majority opposition councilors - will not approve this year’s budget?

My broadcaster friend Harold Barcelona doubted the duo defected because in the January 18 session of the SB, Coquia and Fernandez still supported the ally -solons under former Mayor Lim.

When he saw the LDC meeting showing Mayor Fernandez supporters in the LDC applauded Coquia and Fernandez’s presence, former Councilor Chito Samson – an ally of the mayor – quipped on his Facebook account: Salamat Sa Diyos natauhan din si Konsi Alvin Coquia at Konsi Malou Fernandez.

Hours later he lamented: Haizt photo ops lang pala hahaha akala ko new majority na sa SP sorry na naman ang Dagupan.

We can ascertain finally if the duo abandoned the opposition if we could see them collaborate with the proposed ordinances of Mayor Fernandez and not only of the budget’s approval as pressure and warning from the DILG threatened them like a Sword of Damocles.

READ MY OTHER BLOG:

How Mayor, Guv, Solon Steal to Fund Their Election

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.