OZAMIZ
CITY— This time, Acting City Mayor Irene “Girlet” Luansing is obviously enraged
with the refusal of the City Council to go along with her plans to deliver good
governance to the city.
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In
a press statement circulated online dated Dec. 28, and a copy sent to the
Philippine Preview, Luansing expressed her annoyance with former Bag-ong
Ozamiznon partymates who, she said, blocked the passage of the P737-million
2018 Annual Executive Budget that she proposed last October.
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Although
not named in her statement, a source from the mayor’s camp identified the city
lawmakers as Matronillo Cartagenas, Fritz Neil Balgue, April Mecaros Cabantac,
Rico Auman and lawyer Robert Cantago Jr.
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Luansing
said these councilors passed a P633-million budget instead that is not concise
with the necessities for working direction of the local government.
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She
explained that the proposed P737-million budget is supposed to be used for the
city’s peace and order program, transfer and control of every department’s operational
resources, enhanced health services delivery, direct financial aid and livelihood
assistance, disaster response and actions against drug abuse.
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She
further said that social services should not be discretionary but mandatory and
control of these resources should be not in hands of the local chief executive so
that control will not rest squarely on the mayor whose only motive would be
to intensify one’s political grip.
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“But
that is not my style of leadership and governance,” she said in her statement.
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“Any
right thinking legislator, who has concern for public welfare, would never
oppose a budget with these features. Worse, the six City councilors gave
nothing for peace and order activities! This is highly unthinkable given the
huge law and order challenge facing the city, especially curbing illicit drug
trade and related crimes, and addressing the problem of drug abuse in a
sustained manner,” she added.
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Luansing’s
also said she couldn’t remotely think that the long-standing association of the
mentioned councilmen with the dark past could have influenced this decision.
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She
justified that if she consents with the P633-million budget to take effect, Ozamiznons
stand to lose big in building up its reform in local governance as well as slow
up the progress of the quality of social services to its people.
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“We
are now studying ways to overturn that decision, in the spirit of defeating
this attempt by the dark forces of the past to let the light of change spread.”
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“Today,
I am all the more emboldened to battle the dark forces of the past in order to
secure a bright future for Ozamiz City,” she ended.
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As
of press time, The Philippine Preview tried to contact any of the mentioned
councilors but failed as some council employees told this paper the said
councilors will say their piece in due time.
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MICHAEL
MEDINA
Editor-in-chief
The
Philippine Preview