The Cebu City North District’s newly-elected councilors: (from left to right) Nestor Archival, Niña Mabatid, Joy Young, Lea Japson, Sisinio Andales, Alvin Arcilla, Alvin Dizon, and Raymond Garcia. | CDND PHOTO / Delta Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Partido Barug-PDP Laban may have secured the mayor and vice mayor posts in the next three years, but Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) still has the majority seats in the Cebu City Council.
Nine of the 16 newly-elected councilors in the North and South Districts of Cebu City are from BO-PK including North District councilors Nestor Archival, Joy Young, Lea Japson, Sisinio Andales, Alvin Arcilla, Alvin Dizon; and South District councilors David Tumulak, Eugenio Gabuya, Jr., and Yayoy Alcoseba.
Ex-officio councilors Franklyn Ong, the Association of Barangay Councils president, and Jessica Resch, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president, giving the BO-PK party the upper hand in the Cebu City Council with 11 councilors against Partido Barug’s seven councilors.
According to reelected councilor Sisinio Andales, the majority party in the council will be given the privilege to form the committees in the council.
“The majority party is BO-PK, as far as the council is concerned so we will be controlling the chairmanship and membership of the committees,” said Andales.
Andales said they will be convening on who to choose as chairpersons of the different committees and its members.
Andales said they will not likely give the chairmanship to the administration party, Partido Barug, but they will be given membership to the committees.
“We will look into it and we will try to see how this will work,” said Andales.
Andales said there will always be the possibility that some of the members may transfer to the other party, now that Partido Barug holds the administration seats.
However, as of now, Andales said that BO-PK still holds the council.
North District first councilor, Nestor Archival, said that he is saddened of the change of administration but he is glad that the council remains to be under the majority of the BO-PK.
He said that he may be seeking chairmanship or membership on the committee on public services so he can focus on solving the city’s garbage problems.
Partido Barug’s newly-elected councilors said they are not bothered by being the minority of the City Council because they can work with the opposing party.
South District first councilor, Dondon Hontiveros, said he will be serving more time in Cebu but will be occasionally traveling to Manila for his basketball councilor. He said the mandate given by the people to him as first councils entails a big responsibility.
Incumbent Mabolo barangay captain and now North district councilor-elect, Niña Mabatid, said she did not expect to win as councilor because this was her first time to run for a position in the city.
Mabatid ranks second in the North District next to Archival.
Just like the first councilor, Mabatid also hopes to be part of the committee on public services to work on the garbage problems in the city.
Forming the council’s minority block, along with Hontiveros and Mabatid, are reelected councilors Raymond Alvin Garcia, Eduardo Rama, Jr., Antonio “Tony” Cuenco, Junjun Osmeña, and Phillip Zafra.
Meanwhile, both Congressional seats in Cebu City are won by BO-PK candidates with the North District remaining to be under Raul del Mar and the South District under Bebot Abellanosa.
The two reelected representatives said they are ready to go back to the Congress to work on the legalization of motorcycle-taxis.
Abellanosa said he is not expecting any more trouble with the choosing of a new Speaker of the House as what happened in the past Congress when current Speaker of the House, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, “ousted” former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.
However, Abellanosa said he still do not have anyone in mind as the next Speaker of the House.
As for del Mar, he promised to work harder for the Cebuanos, especially for the North District, and will work hard on drafting more legislations in the Congress. / celr