Dumaguete Mayor Agustin Perdices slammed the criticism against him by the legal counsel of an arrastre company, for his alleged “inaction” on the ongoing labor problem in the city port.

“It is a mere spectacle designed to make the lawyer appear good to his client,” Perdices said, referring to Joel Obar, counsel for Prudential Customs and Brokerage Inc.

He added that Obar is trying to impress his client that he is really fighting for its rights by criticizing him for alleged lack of political will in handling the brewing dispute at the port.

Obar had said that the situation in the port of Dumaguete is deteriorating because of lack of political will, on the part of the local executive to enforce the laws and ordinances of the land.

Perdices, however, said “I do not begrudge him for that, because he has to earn his pay”.

“What would it take if he sits down with me and asks what is my plan and strategy? He did not even give me that courtesy, and instead went on to criticize me,” Perdices said in a press conference Tuesday.

Obar also criticized the mayor for waiting for the Department of Labor and Employment to declare the strike at the port illegal before he takes police action.

Perdices admitted that he is seeking the opinion of the labor department on whether the strike in the pier is legal or not. He added that he also asked the DOLE whether the strikers can block the free flow of cargo traffic in the port.

Perdices said he decided to seek the opinion of the DOLE on these issues after getting mixed legal opinions from lawyers he had consulted about the port strike.

Perdices assuring that he is not taking sides but said he wants to have legal basis for what he will do to solve the strike at the pier started early this month by the workers belonging to the ALU-TUCP.

The porters allegedly struck because of the refusal of the PCBI to absorb all the workers under the previous stevedoring company.

PCBI won the bidding for stevedoring services in the port of Dumaguete.*RA

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