‘Killed Resolutions Reflect Trapo-Politik in Bacolod’ – Gamboa

Lone opposition Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr., over the weekend, lamented as “trapo-politik” in the way the Bacolod Sangguniang Panglunsod (SP) killed his three resolutions which he considered critical in the management of increasing COVID-19 transmission hounding the City now, financial amelioration for those affected by this economic crisis and a call for transparency and accountability of granted funds by the National Government.

Gamboa, in a press statement, explained that all these three resolutions were challenged by trivial, petty, and “nit-picking” counter-arguments just to prove the majority’s tyranny in the City Council, an attitude which is typical of “trapo-politik”.

He said that in the last September 10, 2020, regular SP session, he filed and argued for the passage of three relevant resolutions that would strengthen Bacolod’s health systems’ preparedness and response through continued mandatory quarantine and swab tests protocols on returning residents – by supporting the Mayor’s appeal to the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NITF) to allow Bacolod to continue implementing local health protocols.

This resolution, according to him, is extremely critical because COVID-19 community transmission in Bacolod is for the most part traceable to incoming Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), adding, “They may all be tested negative in Manila but we need to consider the incubation period and the infection positivity could appear at a latter-day.”

Gamboa also explained that unfortunately a colleague nit-picked on a provision of his resolution of support to the Mayor by declaring said provision as misleading when in truth and in fact, it was a verbatim quote of the Mayor’s appeal to the National NITF, A Public Information Office September 5, 2020 press release, adding, “Basta lang nga may i-question? (questioning for the sake of questioning?).”

He likewise said that his second resolution was supposed to be a financial amelioration by requesting public utilities (BACIWA, CENECO, SMART, and GLOBE) for a 60-day payment moratorium based on the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act” (Bayanihan Act).

Another colleague, Gamboa said, nit-picked on a typographical error of this resolution but did not bother to read the entirety of the resolution that was drafted in response to a public outcry; said colleague’s counter-argument simply stated “that we leave it to the prerogative, authority and power of the Mayor being the representative of the City and to approve this will give the impression that we are overly subservient to the Mayor and that we do not know our jobs,” – to which Gamboa added, “I can only laugh WA!”

A colleague belonging to the majority, however, filed a similar resolution and according to him, “Lo and behold, it was approved! Nevertheless, said colleague accepted me as her co-author.”

Gamboa’s third resolution was a manifestation for accountability, transparency and good governance, a proper liquidation of Bacolod’s P119 million “Bayanihan Act Fund I”, again, this is in response to public outcry, for regaining back the trust of the people and for purposes among others of availing the next tranche of the “Bayanihan Act Fund II”.
This was likewise killed, he said.*