Incoming 15th Sangguniang Panlalawigan still has no house rules

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The incoming members of the 15th Sangguniang Panlalawigan will open their inaugural session on Monday, July 1, 2019, without a set of Internal Rules of Procedure (IRP).

This after the incoming board members failed to make a quorum during the meeting called for by Vice Governor-elect Hilario Davide III on Tuesday afternoon, June 25. 

The meeting was aimed at discussing and agreeing on the house rules that is supposed to be adopted by the 15th Sangguniang Panlalawigan on their inaugural session.

This is already the second time that Davide called for a meeting with the incoming legislators.

Lawyer Pulchra Marie Acevedo, secretary to the SP, said only six board members attended the meeting at the Vice Governor’s Conference Room on Tuesday. 

These are reelected Board Members Raul Bacaltos of the First District, Jose Mari Salvador of the Second District, Victoria Corominas- Toribio of the Third District, Miguel Antonio Magpale of the Fifth District, Jerome Christian Librando of the Seventh District, and Sangguniang Kabataan Cebu Provincial Federation President Jerico Rubio.

None of the first-term board members attended the meeting.

Acevedo, however, assured that having no IRP in place during the inaugural session will not harm the legislative functions since they still have the Local Government Code to benchmark on.

“We will just wait maybe during the inaugural session (they will agree with the new house rules). Under the Local Government Code, the PB can update and adopt their house rules during the inaugural session or within 90 days thereafter,” Acevedo explained.

Acevedo said the PB is expected to elect for the chairmanship and membership of the existing committees in the legislative body on July 1. /bmjo