CAGAYAN de Oro City Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya on Wednesday, July 3, said the decision to leave out Councilors Lordan Suan and Bebot Rodriguez from having their own committee chairmanship was made after learning there were zero ordinances passed by the previous opposition councilors in the 19th City Council.
"The previous opposition councilors were non-performing," Nacaya said, when asked what was the reason why they opted to skip assigning chairmanship roles for the two opposition councilors.
Nacaya said there were no proposed ordinances, zero recommendations from the committees of senior citizens, labor sector and the blue ribbon. The senior citizen committee was previously handled by former City Councilor Leon Gan, the labor sector was chaired by former councilor Nadya Emano, and the ethics committee by reelected councilor Suan.
The reelected majority floor leader said these councilors "did not function in their role as the chair of these committees" in the previous council.
"We have lessons to pick up. In the 18th city council, there was no proposed and even considered ordinances passed by these committees, no suggestions and recommendations," he said.
"These are lessons that we have learned in the majority that's why we have decided to determine the chairmanship only for the members of the majority," Nacaya added.
During the inaugural session on Wednesday, Councilor Bebot Rodriguez questioned why she was not given a committee chairmanship.
"I have been a barangay chair for 12 years, I was a nurse for 23 years, I've been handling social services of Congressman Rufus Rodriguez for the last nine years," she said.
"I'm now asking Mr. Chair because I know I'm competent handling chairmanship of any of the committee I am now questioning why I was not given a single committee to chair because I want this manifested so that the Cagayan de Oro people will know that I have no chairmanship," the lady councilor told the city council.
Rodriguez said she suspects someone is behind this decision to exclude them.
She said by leaving them out of these decisions, the city council is already sending a message on divisiveness.
"I am very competent in handling a committee, I know somebody behind this nga dili gyud ko mahatagan ug chairmanship. Councilor Ian Mark Nacaya is talking about democracy, so is that the definition of the democracy sa iya? Para nako there will be divisiveness kay ila man gihapon gitan-aw nga dili mi kapartido, humana man ang election," she said.
Suan for his part asked the council the reason behind the decision.
Vice Mayor Rainier Joaquin Uy, meanwhile, said the chairpersons of each committee was elected by the majority members of the council.
"Dili man pud sa ingon nga tungod naa kay chairmanship mas maka serbisyo ka, depende man na sa imoha kung moserbisyo gyud ka," he said.