Malacanang suspends 3 “unruly”, obstructionist Dagupan City execs for 60 days

BAGUIO CITY (November 7, 2024)— Malacanang suspended three Dagupan City councilors for 60 days following a complaint by their own colleagues of their unruly behaviour during a heated-debate during a Sangguniang Panlungsod session October last year.



In an order issued by Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs (DESLA), Atty. Anna Liza G. Logan, Dagupan City Councilors Redford Christian P. Erfe-Mejia; Alipio Serafin D. Fernandez and Victoria Czarina C. Lim-Acosta (be placed) under 60-days preventive suspension starting November 5, 2024. 

Logan’s order said they found merit in the complaint of Dagupan City Vice-Mayor Dean Bryan Kua; Councilors Jeslito Seen, Dennis Canto, and Joshua F. Bugayong against their three colleagues under the Local Government Code and Administrative Order 23 or the rules on the investigation of administrative actions against officials of local governments.

The 60-day suspension stemmed from a complaint for Disturbance of Proceeding, Grave Coercion, and Grave Oral Defamation. 

Also, earlier this February, the Dagupan City Prosecutor's Office charged the officials after videos surfaced of Erfe-Mejia, Fernandez, and Lim-Acosta’s disruptive behavior during a city council session where Erfe-Mejia was seen trying to wrestle control of the session by snatching microphones away from other officials. He also reportedly threw accusations against his colleagues present in the session hall as well as demanding to lock the room to prevent anyone from leaving.

Kua, Seen, Canto and Bugayong claimed in their complaint, "Pursuant thereto, we attended the session on 10 October 2023 at around 10:00 in the morning, as this was our regular session day, i.e., every Tuesday of the week. 11. Among the matters to be taken up at the time was the approval of the minutes of the sessions, which transpired on 26 September 2023 and 03 October 2023, respectively. During the said 10 October 2023 session, while the same was ongoing, discussions turned into an untoward incident, involving the acts complained of which were committed by Councilor Redford Christian P. Erfe-Mejia, Councilor Alipio Serafin D. Fernandez, and Councilor Victoria Czarinna C. Lim-Acosta”

Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez welcomed Malacanang’s ruling stressing, “the city can (now) push through with the projects she said were long delayed.” She added, "these urgent projects will soon benefit all our Batang Dagupeno students in the 20 barangays and different schools of Dagupan.” 

Mayor Fernandez said among the projects delayed were construction works in different schools in the city. 

The three suspended councilors were said to have been calling for transparency and demanded documents in relation to the city's funding processes of projects.*