THE majority bloc of the Cagayan De Oro City Council barely left a single chairmanship or even a membership to the minority bloc in the 20th City Council’s standing committees provided for in the internal rules of procedure adopted by the body on Monday.
The minority even claimed the majority has subverted the law and made them hold chairmanships of committees not in their mandate.
In the proposed standing committees chairmanship by the majority bloc, of the six opposition councilors, only Councilor Yevonna Yacine Emano was given chairmanship, and Councilor Marvern Esparcia was her vice chairman at the Arbitration Committee.
However, Emano confirmed she would refuse the offer even though the proposed Resolution No. 2022 -3, (the elected respective chairpersons) was already approved.
“Not enough time for me to decline, as we already told for a 4 pm neurological service for the former mayor Canoy,” said Emano, adding that she never received an invitation from the majority bloc to be the chair of the said committee.
“I am always with the party. What party stands for, so I decided not to accept and declined the chairmanship,” said Emano.
Emano also added that she was even surprised why there was already an arbitration committee in the 20th city council, while the said committee was not in the previous (19th) council.
“Regardless of the situation still the minority councilors will serve the city to the best of our abilities,” Emano said adding that even though the minority has been left out again from committees.
She said it would have been nice if we accepted or not, we could also be offered because they also said that we are unity, there is no more politics in the council.
Asst. Minority Floor Leader Pepe Abbu also confirmed they never received an invitation from the majority bloc to chair or even just to become a member of the 28 committees of the City Council.
Minority councilors Judith, Abbu, Suan, and Achas, were not given any committees at all.
Although dismayed by the lack of commitment, Abbu said this will not stop the minority councilors from pushing for legislation that will improve the city.
He said that the lack of committee will not stop them from doing their job and will inspire them to work harder as they did in the past Councils.
Meanwhile, Minority Floor Leader James Judith said that it was Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy who called for unity.
Judith said the vice mayor (Rodriguez) made several attempts to reach out but the majority did not show good faith and did not show up on the two occasions that they were invited for a chat or leveling with the minority.
“We even showed up on the first flag raising to show our good faith and our response to the call for unity by the mayor but in the afternoon, we learned that we were not given committee assignments,” said Judith.
“Some majority councilors, like the ex officios, were even given two committees?” asked Judith.
In the 28 standing committee chairmanships, Councilors Edgardo Cabanlas, Ian Mark Nacaya, and Roger Abaday were given three committees each.
While councilors John Michael Seno remains to be the chairperson for the committee on sports and youth development while Yan Lam Lim remains to be the chairperson for the committee on barangay affairs.
Councilors Lim and Seno were also the Finance and Public works chairmen respectively.
Judith pointed out that it is the prerogative of the majority rules because they have the numbers but then this ultra vires act cannot contravene the Local Government Code.
“As the law is very clear and as expressed in case of law (Galarosa v. Valencia) that the ex officios term cannot be more than that of the regular members of the sanggunian concerned,” said Judith.
Judith also explained that the term of the two ex officios (Lim, and Seno) already expired together with the regular members of the 19th city council on June 30.
They are still in the 20th City Council so as not to interrupt the services they could render to their respective sector, according to Judith.
Moreover, Lim and Seno are merely on hold-over status as they would soon be replaced in upcoming elections in their sector.
The committees given to Lim and Seno should have been given to regular members and not to the ex-officials, according to Judith.
