Wednesday, February 13, 2008 Talisay councilors get engrossed in caucus, fail to attend session
MEMBERS of the majority bloc failed to attend the Talisay City Council’s regular session yesterday because they were too “engrossed” in a caucus at the mayor’s office.
The lack of quorum forced opposition Councilor Alan Bucao, acting presiding officer, to bang the gavel and officially declare the session adjourned at 9:25 a.m.
Except for a few people at the gallery, only Bucao and Sangguniang Kabataan president April Marie Cabigas were present in the session hall.
“I just followed the house rules, I waited for 15 minutes and there was no notice at all that they were coming late. I even extended the waiting time through a five-minute recess. It’s a bad precedent if I have to wait for one hour,” Bucao said.
In its house rules, the council formally opens its session at 9 a.m.
Motive
Bucao said that there was no ulterior motive on his part when he adjourned the session, saying he was only doing his mandated task.
He insisted that it was well within his authority as acting presiding officer to abort the session.
Since last week, Bucao has been acting as a temporary presiding officer in the absence of Vice Mayor Lani Abarquez, who is on official trip in The Netherlands. Abarquez is set to return on Feb. 17.
The adjournment left four proposed measures unapproved.
Bucao said Abarquez left behind a memorandum designating him as the presiding officer while the latter is out of the country.
Learning of Bucao’s call for adjournment, Mayor Socrates Fernandez hastily issued a memorandum to Bucao and the rest of the council members, urging them to hold a special session at 9:30 a.m. today.
Bucao said he is obliged to follow the mayor’s memo. However, he is unsure if they will tackle the same proposed measures today.
He cited the Local Government Code of 1991 that stated the council will only tackle one important legislative measure in a special session.
Councilor Shirley Belleza, majority floor leader, clarified that there was no intent on their part to protest Bucao’s leadership.
It just happened that the caucus with Fernandez went past the scheduled 9 a.m. council session, she said.
Belleza said the nine majority bloc councilors were already in the mayor’s office at 8 a.m. but Fernandez came in 10 minutes before 9 a.m.
Belleza has contested Bucao’s use of the law of succession of the LGC as his basis to act as temporary presiding officer.
She said Rule 3 Section 3 of the council’s internal house rules was not followed, stating that all council members shall elect the presiding officer on a majority vote. (GC)
