Wednesday, October 24, 2007 Council deletes ‘persona non grata’ phrase
WITH Malacañang stepping in to resolve the issue and a pending case in court, some members of the Lapu-Lapu City Council feel it is premature to support moves to declare businessman Efrain Pelaez Jr. persona non grata.
Six councilors, most of whom are allies of Mayor Arturo Radaza, voted in favor of scrapping a phrase in the proposed resolution that would have made Pelaez an unacceptable person in Lapu-Lapu City.
Five voted in favor of retaining the phrase “to declare Mr. Efrain Pelaez (Jr.) persona non grata” in the resolution proposed by Councilor Eduardo Cuizon.
Vice Mayor Mario Amores said after the special session that the voting only goes to show that not all councilors, even those who belong to the same political party as the mayor, support Radaza’s moves in relation to the controversy between him and Pelaez.
Amores also said that Radaza’s representative, lawyer Michael Dignos, was given the opportunity to explain to the council “what happened and why it happened,” referring to the Oct. 19 closure of Marina Mall, which Pelaez owns.
Dignos also presented the closure orders that were given to Marina Mall tenants and why these were issued.
It was then that Cuizon moved for the approval of his resolution.
‘Meddlesome’
Part of the proposed measure read: “A resolution expressing the sentiments of the people of the city against the unlawful intrusion into the jurisdiction and arbitrary interference in the political independence and integrity of the City of Lapu-Lapu.”
It further stated: “To declare Mr. Efrain Pelaez Jr. and the meddlesome Provincial Government officials PERSONA NON GRATA.”
The unedited proposed resolution crossed out the phrase “and meddlesome Provincial Government officials” and retained the rest.
Amores said the councilors were then given time to weigh things after Dignos’ explanation before they were made to voice out their sentiments.
Those who wanted the persona non grata phrase deleted were Councilors Damian Gomez, Efren Herrera, Cornelio Pahang, Alexander Gestopa, Quennie Ammann and Marcial Ycong.
Those who wanted it retained were Councilors Cuizon, Florito Pozon, Rodulfo Potot, Junard Chan, and Association of Barangay Councils president Leo Mercado. Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president Liz Catagcatag abstained.
In explaining his vote, Gomez said a case is now being resolved in court and that reconciliation should be the council’s objective. Gomez is referring to Presidential
Management Staff Director-General Cerge Remonde’s role today in coming over to talk with Radaza and Pelaez regarding the conflict.
“This pending case in court and the possible reconciliation will go down the drain if we declare Pelaez persona non grata,” Amores said in an interview after the session.
“We have done our job, the council has spoken,” said Amores, the council’s presiding officer.
He also admitted that for so many weeks now, the City Council has been silent on the issue. But when violence erupted last Oct. 19, the council decided to step in.
“Our mandate is to uphold the general welfare of the city and its inhabitants, including peace and order, by enacting measures to prevent and suppress violence,” said Amores. (OCP)
