Dahil sa Kapabayaan ng Majority Nabawi ni Dagupan Mayor ang P1.3-B

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza, MPA

Naisahan ng limang minority na mambabatas ng Dagupan City and pitong kalaban nilang councilors matapos na mag leave of absence ang tatlo na miyembro na sina Councilors Alfie Fernandez, Celia Lim at Irene Lim-Acosta.  Dahil sa kapabayaang ito (negligence), the minority could be likened to an eagle hovering in the sky ready to pounce on its unwary prey on the ground. Tinira ng patalikod Diyos ko ang walang kaalam-alam na Majority.

 Itong nangyari sa plenary hall kamakailan lang ay isang masakit na leksiyon sa mga taga majority at sa mga libu-libong supporters nila

Like a thief in the night, the minority lawmakers of Dagupan City outsmarted the majority in passing the controversial P1.3 billion 2023 budget when some of them went on leave of absence. From left photo and clockwise: Dagupan City Mayor T. Fernandez, Minority Leader Michael Fernandez and Majority Stalwart Councilor Red Erfe-Mejia.

Kung sa boxing, ito’y hindi lang knocked down – knocked out ito anak ng bakang dalaga  dahil pinalakas nila ang “mortal” na kalaban nilang si Mayor Belen T. Fernandez sa halagang P1.3 billion na matagal na niyang hinihingi. Ang higanting halaga ay gagamitin niyang pampaguapo o pampaganda sa kanya sa taon na ito.

Sa nasabing sesyun, buo ang limang minority councilor kasama ang vice mayor na kaalyado ni Mayor habang apat lang ang majority aldermen na andoon.

Dahil majority ang minority sa quorum, ipinasok ng minority – like a thief in the night – ang P1.3 billion na proposed ordinance 0-835 para sa budget ni Mayor. Itong P1.3 billion ay nasupalpal na ito early this year noong ayaw patinag si Mayor na ipakita sa majority dads ang mga pangalan at suweldo ng mga job orders employees (JOE). Dahil naabutan ng March 31, balik reenacted budget si Mayor na wala ang 20 percent development funds sa mga bagong proyekto, supplemental budget, no creation and filling of new positions at iba pa.

Sinabi sa social media ng isang nagdaramdam  na miyembro ng majority dahil doon sa salisi na dapat  ang kailangan pag appropriation ordinance ay QUALIFIED MAJORITY  (lahat ng councilors andoon man o wala) ang bubuto hindi ang SIMPLE MAJORITY (na pasok sa quorum of majority (7 or more councilors) ng buong miyembro ng collegiate body na 13 kasama dito ang vice mayor).

DILG EXPLAINS SIMPLE MAJORITY AND QUALIFIED MAJORITY

E cite ko dito ang classic case noong kiniwestiyon nila Governor Jesus N. Sacdalan at Vice Gov. Manny Pinol noong February 9,2010 and Department of Interior & Local Government (DILG) na dapat qualified majority ng Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng North Cotabato (dating probinsiya ko, hihi) ang bumubuto hindi simple majority pag annual appropriation budget ang nakataya. 

Kahit ito ay provincial board ito ay ginagamit ng DILG sa pag sagot sa mga katanungan ng mga taga local governments ng mga bayan at mga siyudad sa Pilipinas.

Gamitin natin ang katanungan ni Mayor Celso Oliver Dator ng Lukban, Quezon kung ilan ba talaga ang requirement sa pag buto sa budget na matalinong sinagot ni DILG Undersecretary Marivel C. Sacendoncillo, CESO III noong 2019.

Ani Undersecretary Sacendoncillo: “For purposes of clarity, please allow us to discuss the terms quorum, “simple majority” and “qualified majority”.

Sinabi ni Undersecretary that the sanggunian to officially transact business there should be a quorum. A quorum is defined by Section 53 of the Local Government Code of 1991 as referring to the presence of the majority of the sanggunian who have been duly elected and qualified.

Sa SIMPLE MAJORITY, paliwanag ni Sacendoncillo, ay mga ordinary ordinances at resolutions na quorum lang ang kailangan at buto ng mga miyembro ng sanggunian na andoon sa sesyun.

“These pertains to the normal transactions of the sanggunian which are approved by the sanggunian through a vote of simple majority of those present,” aniya.

Sa QUALIFIED MAJORITY, ani Sacendoncillo, ay mga transaksiyon na ang Local Government Code ay nangangailangan ng buto ng majority ng mga councilors na ibinuto at nanalo noong huling eleksiyon

 “This is what we call approval by the qualified majority of the sanggunian. In this case, the approval is to be voted not just by the majority of those present in a session there being a quorum but by majority of all the members of the sanggunian duly elected and qualified regardless of whether all of them were present or not in a particular session, there being a quorum,” dagdag niya.

The Undersecretary explained that what is being referred to under Article 107 2nd sentence of paragraph (of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Local Government Code of 1991 which require the approval of a QUALIFIED MAJORITY VOTE is an ordinance or resolution (specific appropriation) authorizing or directing the payment of money or creating a liability”.

Sabi pa niya na ang Appropriation Ordinance at ang Ordinance directing the payment of money or creating liability ay iba basi sa nilalaman ng Section 55 (b) ng Code na kung saan ay ni mention ang dalawa kasama ang ipinasang Appropriation Ordinance.

Hindi kasali ang Appropriation Ordinance sa QUALIFIED MAJORITY VOTE na sinasabi sa Article 107 2nd sentence of paragraph (of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the LGC.

“In view of the above-cited DILG Opinion, this Department is of the position that the required vote to pass an (appropriation) ordinance is only SIMPLE MAJORITY (emphasis by this writer),” she cited.