Belleza describes colleagues as "anti-women"

CEBU, Philippines - What could be gleaned as a retaliation to what the city council did to her last week, Talisay City Councilor Shirley Belleza yesterday, in her privilege speech, lambasted her fellow councilors, describing them “anti-women” for still failing to discuss her two proposed ordinances for the Barangay Health Workers (BHW) and for the implementation of the Gender and Development (GAD) code.

“This council is stripping me off my chairmanships because you do not want me to pass these ordinances? Nahadlok mo nga maghatag ni nako og ganda points?” asked Belleza, in her privilege speech at the start of their regular session yesterday morning.

Belleza’s privilege speech came exactly a week after the city council approved a motion filed by Councilor Arturo Bas declaring all committee chairmanships and memberships vacant so that all those who are running in the May 10 elections can focus on the campaign sorties.

Apart from losing her majority leader post, the third-term Belleza was stripped of her three major committees: Health; Women, Children and Family; and Tourism.

But even before it happened, Belleza said she already saw it coming, but she did not expect that her fellow administration councilors would take it seriously.

The faction, Belleza believes, stemmed from her vocal support for her husband’s, former Vice Mayor Aberdovey, candidacy.

Aberdovey is running for vice mayor against the administration candidate Vice Mayor Alan Bucao, who is apparently the lady councilor’s staunch opponent in the council.

“I would not be too dumb not to realize that I was the target of the entire zarzuela. I was amused by each member building up to the premise of election heating up and or that simply because it is, the majority decision,” she said.

“Where in the entire Philippines, can you find councilors dropping their chairmanships because they shall be busy campaigning? Only in Talisay! Taphaw ug kataw-anan ang mga tubag,” Belleza said in her speech, which from time to time received applause from members of a women’s group and BHWs who came to witness the session.

The lady councilor even dubbed the councilors’ reasons for relinquishing their chairmanships as “entertaining,” especially the one given by Councilor Bernard Odilao who told the council last week that he was willing to give up his chairmanship as he has a reunion with his batch mates in Bohol in the coming month.

Belleza, among other things, also mentioned Councilor Dennis Basillote’s alleged promise to increase the honorarium of BHW from P200 to P500 per month. It however has not materialized until now, she said.

Belleza said if the council would still not pass her two proposals, she will have other things to say. She has agreed to lay on the table her two ordinances allowing the councilors to study them for another week.

And if they would still refuse to pass them and be “anti-women” like they have been, then she would be prompted to make another move.

As to her fellow councilors’ junking her from the team, she said that if they “will push me against the wall and will really treat me like an opposition,” she may become one, and give her total support to her husband’s party.— Liv G. Campo ( FREEMAN NEWS)