COMMENTARY : August 10, 2007
Defective Public Hearings
The City Council should improve their system of holding public hearings on proposed ordinances if they really want genuine public participation to such public discussion.
In last Thursday’s public hearing on the controversial new increased rates of health care services at the puericulture center, there were only six public attendants, two were citizens, and the four others were newsmen covering the city hall beat. Obviously, there was failure in that public hearing.
The City Sanggunian must now stop this silly excuse of having called a public hearing and blame the citizens for not attending. Wrong. The public hearing at 2pm is a wrong time because people are busy making a living in this poverty-stricken community. The SP cannot force people to leave their livelihood for a public hearing. The public servants must adjust to the time of their public masters, and not the other way around.
An ordinance may be passed requiring all barangays to hold a pulong pulong or public discussion on a proposed ordinance, complete with attendance sheet and minutes to be submitted to the SP as evidence of such public hearing which must be attended by at least three councilors. This will give idle barangay officials a chance to get some serious work.
Moreover, DYEM ENERGY FM is willing to hold those public hearings ON AIR 8-9pm “live” and inter active, on the program “Dumaguete Tonight” for the public to participate. This manner, all people CAN hear, at night while they are at home resting. At least the author of the ordinance, and at least two other councilors will be present to answer the questions from the public.
In this manner too, the people will no longer have any excuse of not having known the new ordinance after a public hearing was conducted ON AIR, and right in their very own barangays.-30-
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Thu Aug 09, 2007 11:38 am