DILG to Dumanjug dads: Attend sessions or face suspension

Municipal councilors of Dumanjug town in southwest Cebu allied with the One Cebu party were warned yesterday to attend  municipal council sessions or face suspension.

“Under the Local Government Code and under their own set of internal rules, sanctions can be imposed. But not without an investigation, they will be given due process,” Provincial Director Jerome Gonzales of the Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG) said.

Gonzales issued the warning after receiving reports that some municipal councilors in Dumanjug town were absent from the town’s legislative sessions for the past six months. Gonzales said councilors who commit four consecutive and unexcused absences will be held administratively liable for their actions.

Dumanjug Vice Mayor Efren Guntrano Gica said the town council failed to reach a quorum for the past 25 consecutive sessions since the four councilors of the One Cebu bloc refused to show up in the proceedings.

Argument

He said they were only able to hold a session last week after the police escorted the “missing” councilors to the session hall. The council was supposed to hold their second straight session two days ago.

But it was stopped after Gica and Councilor Eliezer Amadora nearly came to blows due to an argument over seating arrangements.

Asked for his reaction on the incident, Gonzales said the officials must set aside their differences in order to serve their constituents.

“They were elected for that. Now, if they cannot attend the session, that’s a disservice to the people,” Gonzales told Cebu Daily News.

Gica, who is allied with the Liberal Party (LP) in Cebu, said he already filed a case of dereliction of duty against the One Cebu affiliated councilors before the Cebu Provincial Board (PB).

However, the committee on discipline and investigation has yet to act on the complaint.  “The PB has (to address this) because basic services are affected and paralyzed,” Gica said.