THE numbers: 95-2-Vice Mayor Vicente Emano's 95th absence at the regular City Council session, and the second time around for minority Councilor Zaldy Ocon to give the vice mayor's "excuse letter" a good rip.

The reasons: All the same-Vice Mayor Emano was attending official matters of "equal importance" with his duty as a presiding officer in council sessions; Councilor Ocon sees that as an "insult" and "deceit" to the taxpaying public.

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The councilor said he would not stop making shredded bits out Emano's "excuse letter" every week -- even if the pro-administration majority bloc threatens him with sanctions.

"We can't go on like this; he (Emano) can't keep insulting and deceiving the people of Cagayan de Oro every week with his nonattendance here," a strident Ocon thundered in the dialect, ripped Emano's "excuse letter" to the City Council in front of his colleagues and walked out of the session hall. He never returned throughout the entire session.

Emano's party mates in the majority block leaped to the vice mayor's defense.

"That our vice mayor can choose not to appear here and delegate the task of presiding the session to other members by rotating this responsibility among us in not his fault," said Councilor Simeon Licayan. "We crafted and approved our own House rules, and these rules bear our vice mayor out from all these questions hounding his nonappearance here."

Even if Emano were to preside the weekly sessions, Councilor Licayan said this would be "awkward" both for Emano and for the City Council members because "his presence is more needed in other grand functions, not mingling here with us."

"Pang-presidente gud na atong bise mayor (Our vice mayor has a stature of a president," added Licayan, regarded as the most senior member of the Council, having acted in different capacities in the legislative body for over 50 years now.

But Ocon said Emano's 95 straight absences can't be justified, no matter the defense.

"Unless you're not thinking, or infected with the virus of sycophancy common in the City Council, you would consider these absences abnormal, irregular and anomalous," the broadcaster-turned-politician told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro outside the session hall.

Minority Councilor Roger Abaday weighed in, saying the vice mayor's absences had already taken a toll on the enforcement of some initiatives taken by the City Council.

He cited as example the City Council task force that monitors compliance of oil price rollback, which he said remains "inutile" because the vice mayor was not there to provide direction, or inspire hard work among the members.

"All he does is issue press releases of such and such, do radio programs and spite political opponents all kind of garbage. He's not doing serious work here, but he is being paid from people's money." Councilor Abaday said.

Sun.Star tried to get the vice mayor's side, but an office staff said Emano was not entertaining more visitors.

Emano had earlier said that presiding or even attending regular Council sessions was not his cup of tea as he dislikes "debates" that are common in legislative sessions.

Despite his nonappearance in sessions, the vice mayor still receives salary.

Vice mayors in highly urbanized cities are entitled to salary grade of 28-equivalent to over P24 thousand a month. (DVAIII)