CAGAYAN de Oro City vice mayor-elect Jocelyn ‘Bebot’ Rodriguez yesterday set aside partisan colors and offered a hand of reconciliation to her political rivals, except for Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya.
Rodriguez added that it is time to leave partisan politics and forget the divisiveness of the May 9 elections.
She also vowed to lead the city council “without consideration of one’s political color to allow the council to move on and keep public service alive.”
“Under my plan of having a participative governance system soon at the Council, the guilt, which and who is to blame, is no longer her identity,” said Rodriguez, adding, however, still a big “no” to Nacaya.
Rodriguez said she never forgets what Nacaya did (as majority floor leader) to the minority councilors — she and now 1st District Representative-elect Lordan Suan.
Rodriguez recalled as she cried foul over the present city council majority’s decision, saying it looked like a case of “sabotage” to her and Suan, particularly not to give the minority any committee to chair.
She said the new city council does not want that to happen again.
“I hope that the new city council majority would set aside partisan politics so all of us can fully serve the constituents,” said Rodriguez.
This paper severally called and sent messages to Nacaya for comment and only he replied in the late afternoon.
“Dili man gyud s’ya (Rodriguez) tinood na tao. kana lang,” Nacaya said over the phone.
“Tanang kagawad kinahanglan naay chairmanship. That is the real essence of democracy,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said that she knows that somebody (is) behind this (minority councilors were not given committees to chair at this present city council.
In an earlier report by this paper, Nacaya, however, maintained that the decision was a prerogative of the city council’s majority.
According to Rodriguez, she disagreed with Nacaya’s point, as it was Nacaya’s version.
Rodriguez and Nacaya have had a long history of political rivalry in vote-rich Barangay Nazareth where both served as barangay chairpersons.
“We will continue with our merging bottom-up, participative, and inclusive governance,” said Rodriguez adding that she needs everybody’s help, from the majority councilors.
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