It’s back to square one for Province’s Water Code, five other pending ordinances

THE proposed Cebu Provincial Water Code and ordinances that seek to establish a load limit for delivery trucks and to ensure a drug-free workplace are among the pending ordinances at the Provincial Board (PB) that may have to be refiled.

In an interview Friday, June 7, 2019, Pulchra Marie Acevedo, Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) secretary, said refiling the measures would be necessary given the assumption of the new set of elected officials at noon of June 30.

“Even if the proponent stays as a member, there is still a need to refile because these measures have been scheduled in the agenda already. Second, the members who approved during the first deliberation are not the same members that will approve (on final reading). It will have to go back to the start,” she said.

Two of the pending ordinances were filed by reelected Fourth District PB Member Horacio Paul Franco.

These include establishing a load limit for delivery trucks and imposing a parking fee at the Larsian barbecue strip in Cebu City.

The proposed Provincial Water Code is still pending before the committee on environment headed by reelected Sixth District PB Member Thadeo Jovito Ouano.

A proposed ordinance for senior citizens sponsored by reelected First District PB Member Yolanda Daan is also pending.

The pending ordinances of outgoing PB Members Sun Shimura (fourth district) and Earl Tidy Oyas (ex-officio member) will also have to be refiled as they step down from the legislative department.

Shimura won the mayoral race in Daanbantayan, while Oyas was elected vice mayor of Catmon in the May 13 elections.

Shimura filed an ordinance that seeks to amend the existing cooperative accreditation ordinance.

Oyas also filed an ordinance that pushes for drug-free workplaces in the province.

Acevedo said roughly 4,000 resolutions, more than 3,000 committee reports and close to 50 regulating and appropriation ordinances were approved by the 14th Sanggunian that served from 2016 to 2019.

The records will be turned over to the new set of legislative officials on Monday, June 24.

In an earlier interview, outgoing Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said they are wrapping up the inventory of records and official documents so they can inform the new set of legislative officials.

As vice governor, Magpale also served as presiding officer of the PB for nearly nine years.

“We continued to be a very independent body despite being allies with the (outgoing) governor. That’s very important. Even if the voting was not in our favor, we maintained the independence of the SP,” Magpale told reporters.

As she steps down from the legislative department, her ally, outgoing Gov. Hilario Davide III, will assume the post.

On Monday, June 10, Davide and his new colleagues at the PB will meet to discuss their internal rules and procedures and committee chairmanships. (RTF)