Uy suspends council session as three councilors sneak out

By LITO RULONA
and NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents

VICE Mayor Raineir Joaquin Uy on Monday abruptly stopped the city council session over a question on quorum because three councilors left without asking permission.

After determining that there was no longer a quorum, Uy cut short the meeting of the city council session that was supposed to tackle a proposed resolution that would have tasked its public utilities committee to starts a series of meetings on the increased costs of power consumption in the city.

Uy noted that councilors Lordan Suan, Leon Gan and Yan Lam Lim were present at the start of the city council’s 42nd session but subsequently sneaked out.

“This is the first time nga dunay mga councilors nga naa pa pagsugod sa session unya kalit lang nangawala nga wala pa mahuman ang session. Nag-‘cutting classes’ kini sila,” Uy said.

He said there were a dozen councilors who came but before the city council could tackle motions, there was no longer a quorum.

“We cannot pass and approve anything if there is no simple majority,” he said.

The city council has 18 members, and a simple majority would be 10 members.

Since there were only nine left, anything that the city council approves can be legally questioned, he explained.

“We need 10, at the least,” Uy said.

Councilors Enrico Salcedo, Jay Pascual, Romeo Calizo, George Goking, Annie Daba and Nadya Elipe were absent.

Councilor Tedulfo Lao Jr. said he was disappointed because there were important matters that needed to be tackled like a proposed measure for flood riskeduction, and a proposed resettlement project in Barangay Balubal.

“Unom na da-an ang absent plus tulo ang mi-walk out. Siyam ang  wala,” Lao said.

He said Gan, Suan and Lim owe the city council an explanation during their next session.

Gan said he informed city council secretary Arturo de San Miguel and asked that he be excused because a relative of his died.

“Wala may rason nga mo-walk out ko. Wala man ko mo-walk out,” Gan said.

Lim said he went out of the session hall because he did not feel well.

“Morag mita-as akong  blood pressure, ma-o tong milakaw ko, pero   nananghid man ko,” Lim said.

Suan, for his part, said he left during a recess because his stomach ached.

“Wala na lang kon mananghid kay nakabalo baya ang mga tawo unsa among relasyon ni Vice Mayor Uy. Pero dili man walkout ’tong ako,” said Suan.