BY GERRY LEE GORIT
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Two city councilors gave their political reactions on the recent bolting of their two colleagues in the minority bloc.
Last week, City Councilors Malvern Esparcia (Bitokbitok) and James Judith bolted from their political party – Centrist Democratic Party (CDP), and instead they transferred to the majority party of incumbent Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy.
“What they did only shows what kind of a person they are. We cannot trust this kind of person,” said City Councilor Girlie Balaba in an interview with reporters.
Balaba said the fact that Judith had himself interviewed on the radio that he was no longer the chairman of the minority bloc because he had decided to transfer to the majority, shows the type of person he was.
“We have lost trust and confidence in him because of what he did,” apparently referring to Councilor Judith.
Earlier last week, Vice Mayor Jocelyn Rodriguez also lambasted both Esparcia and Judith and called them “political traitors”
“How many times has Councillor Judith lost in the past elections and the CDP party continued supporting him until he won the elections in 2022? VM Rodriguez asked.
Meanwhile, City Councilor Christian Rustico M. Achas also added during the same interview that he is the new Minority chairman in lieu of City Councilor Judith.
Achas said being a member of Padayon Pilipino, a political party created and founded by the late Dongkoy Emano, his team would continue their work as city fiscalizers.
“Being city fiscalizers, we will continue to fight if there are legislation which has been overlooked by the majority, especially if it affects the people,” he said.
2022 ELECTIONS
James Judith ran for office under the Centrist Democratic Party (CDP) banner in the 2022 Philippine elections in the 2nd District and won.
Esparcia, on the other hand, also ran for a city council seat in the First District under the banner of CDP and he also won.
As city council members, they are partly responsible for approving city ordinances and passing resolutions for an effective city government, generating resources and revenues for the city’s development plans, program objectives, and priorities, enacting ordinances that grant franchises and authorizing the issuance of permits or licenses, regulating activities in relation to the use of land, buildings, and structures, and approving ordinances for the delivery of basic services and facilities, and all related matters that city councilors do.
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City Councilors Girlie Balaba and Rustico Ian Achas. Photos by Gerry Lee Gorit
