Walkout mars Mandaue council’s chairmanship revamp’s session

MAJORITY of the members of Mandaue City Council pushed for the reorganization of some standing committee chairmanship and positions of the council.

A resolution that was passed but not after the minority led by Vice Mayor Carlo Pontico Fortuna declared the proposed resolution to revamp the standing committee chairmanships as “out of order” because this did not abide with the council’s House rules.

“When we reviewed the contents of the resolution, it appears that the resolution did not only cover the vacancies but around eight committees are also included that were not vacant,” said Fortuna on proposed Resolution No. 181-2018 or the reconstituting the composition of some standing regular committees of the sanggunian.

Fortuna, the presiding officer, then declared an adjournment of the session and walked out together with five other ally councilors.

However, the majority of the councilors who stayed in the session hall continued with the session, and with no opposition councilors present passed the proposed resolution.

According to the resolution, the vacant committees handled by the late councilor Demetrio Cortes Jr., who died on December 2017, has to be filled up.

These committees included the Committee on Education and Culture and the Committee on Social Services — the committees that the late councilor headed during his time as councilor.

The resolution was pushing for Councilors Malcolm Sanchez and Nenita Ceniza-Layese to take over the chairmanships of the committees on education and social services respectively.

It was sponsored by Councilors Carmelino Del Mar Jr., Layese, Sanchez, Cynthia Cinco – Remedio, Ernie Manatad, Dallie Mae Cabatingan and Marie Immaline Cortes – Zafra.

The proposed resolution was deferred during last Wednesday’s regular session and so the special session was held on Thursday.

Aside from the committee chairmanships the late councilor held, he also was vice chairman of several committees which are the committees on appropriation, budget and finance; assets and properties; planning, development and socialized housing; transportation, communication and public utilities.

These vice chairmanships were left vacant with the late councilor’s demise.

The vacant posts of Cortes as vice chairman will likely be filled by Layese, Del Mar and Manatad.

But aside from the vacant posts, Councilor Raul Kevin Cabahug V was replaced as the chairman of the committees on health and hospital services and youth and sports development.

It was then that Fortuna declared the committee chairmen’s revamp as out of order, called for an adjournment, and walked out together with five other councilors namely: Councilors Nilo Seno, Elstone Dabon, Elmer Cabahug, Raul Kevin Cabahug V and Bejamin Basiga.

While Councilors Layese, Del Mar, Sanchez, Remedio, Cabatingan, Manatad and Zafra stayed in the session hall and then proceeded with the session and passed the resolution.