CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Council decided to put on hold the election for new committee chairs and members until the official appointment of incoming Councilor James Cuenco.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama, in a press conference after the inaugural session on July 22, 2020, said the council decided to wait for the official appointment of Cuenco, who replaced his father, Antonio Cuenco, in the council after the latter succumbed to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on June 27, 2020.
Read: Councilor Tony Cuenco succumbs to COVID-19
Read: James Cuenco nominated to replace father in Cebu City Council
“Our inaugural session was dedicated to former Congressman and Councilor Antonio Cuenco. It is only proper that we wait for Councilor James to sit in the council before we elect chairmen,” said the vice mayor.
Rama assured the public that the appointment is already awaiting for the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The vice mayor personally asked Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to hasten the process.
Secretary Eduardo Año of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) also assured Cebu City that the appointment will be signed in a few days. He said the council should expect Cuenco to sit in the council by the next regular session on July 29, 2020.
As for whether the minority floor, Bando Osmeña Pundok Osmeña (BOPK), will be allowed to finally take chairmanship in the committees, Rama said it is still being discussed.
In the past year, most committees were held by the majority floor, Barug-PDP Laban, and only the committee on barangay affairs and on youth development were given to BOPK councilors.
The said committees were only given to the minority because ex-officio Councilor Franklyn Ong, the president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), and Councilor Jessica Resch, the president of the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation (SKF), were from BOPK.
These same committees will most likely remain under the ex-officio councilors’ chairmanships as well even after a new election will be held. /bmjo