BACOLOD City Councilor Claudio “Kalaw” Puentevella was expelled at the regular session Wednesday, September 12, after he boxed his colleague, Councilor Dindo Ramos, during the regular session at City Council.
Puentevella and Ramos were discussing the request of the mayor for an authority to sign on the proposed contract of agreement to be entered into by and between the IPM Construction and Development Corporation (IPM-CDC) for the construction of Bacolod City Cell No. 2 in the sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa.
Councilor Caesar Distrito, majority floor leader and chairperson of the City Council committee on laws, said Puentevella asked when they had received the documents on the said matter when Ramos answered him they can also ask questions during the deliberation.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, who presided the session, then called for a recess.
Puentevella stood up and walked towards Ramos then boxed him on his left face. Their colleagues immediately pacified them.
Ramos sustained a bruise on his left face and was brought to the Vice Mayor’s Office while Puentevella also left the session hall after he was reprimanded.
Distrito said this prompted the Council to immediately approve a resolution reprimanding and the exclusion of Puentevella to impose the discipline and order in the session.
The resolution was supported by the 10 votes cast by Distrito, Renecito Novero, Cindy Rojas, Bartolome Orola, Em Ang, Elmer Sy, Lady Gles Gonzales, Ayesha Joy Villaflor, Ana Marie Palermo, and Ramos.
Councilor Wilson Gamboa voted against it while Councilors Ricardo Tan and Sonya Verdeflor abstained from the vote.
“It is unfortunate that it happened between the members of the City Council. It is un-parliamentary and unprecedented. It’s the first time that it happened in the City Council, a councilor boxed his colleague inside the session hall. It tarnishes the image of the City Council,” Distrito said.
He said that for his almost eight years in the City Council, there was no physical violence among the members of the Council.
“With the best interest of the institution itself and to protect the institution, the rules should be imposed and complied with, our internal rules if any disorderly behavior from the members of Council, he can be immediately reprimanded and he could be excluded from the session. As committee on laws, we immediately imposed and moved for the orderly conduct of the session and for the discipline to be observed to impose the discipline and order in the session through the declaration of the exclusion on the session and reprimanded,” he added.
For his part, Ramos said he did not expect that Puentevella will box him because it was only a normal discussion in the session hall.
“I’m not doing anything against him [Puentevella], I am only expressing my stand that we can ask questions because the resource persons are already inside the session hall and if he is not ready to ask a question, he can also make a request for another appearance of the resource persons,” he said.
He added Puentevella insulted him and boxed him for an unknown reason.
Ramos noted that he was also standing when Puentevella boxed him on his face.
Ramos disclosed that he will file administrative and criminal charges against Puentevella.
Meanwhile, Puentevella could not be reached for a comment.
For his part, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said: “We are now celebrating our 80th year as a city, this is the first time ever that this kind of incident happened. Once you are at the City Council, we reason with our reason, we should use our head and not by doing it physically. This family is not yet in the power, how much more if they will be in the power.”
He said the City Council should take an action on it because this is a very serious matter.
“There is no place for these in Bacolod City,” he added.
Familiaran said he called for a recess because there was already a heated argument between Ramos and Puentevella.
He said that he was about to approach the two councilors, but suddenly he saw the other councilors pacifying Ramos and Puentevella.
He added in previous years, a heated argument also ensued between Puentevella and former councilor Carl Lopez, but there was no physical violence.
Councilors Rojas, Ang, and Orola said it is unfortunate that the debate or issues that tackled inside the session hall get physical.
“It’s unbecoming, this is a legislative debate. We can only express our reasons, but it does not need to be physical or violent so it’s very unfortunate and we are saddened,” they said.
They added that they were only courteously deliberating in the session and saw Puentevella walking towards Ramos and boxed him.