BACOLOD City – Councilor Claudio Jesus Puentevella sought legal opinion from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) central office in relation to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) not being able to transact business in its regular sessions in two consecutive weeks late July and early August.
Puentevella said he wants to know if by doing this the SP violated Republic Act 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991.
The law provides that the SP must conduct its regular session once every week.
Puentevella asked the DILG if this means that the SP is “duty-bound” to hold at least four sessions in a month.
The SP failed to transact business in its regular sessions on July 25 and Aug. 1 due to lack of quorum.
Seven SP members were in Long Beach City, California at the time. They were Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran and councilors Em Ang, Caesar Distrito, Cindy Rojas, Renecito Novero, Bartolome Orola, and Dindo Ramos.
The SP members flew to Bacolod’s sister city to attend its version of the MassKara Festival.
At the time, eight members of the city council were left in Bacolod.
Before they flew abroad in July, Distrito said the SP could still hold session since eight out of its 15 members would make quorum.
But this did not happen as only six SP members attended in each of the July 25 and Aug. 1 sessions.
On July 25, Councilor Elmer Sy and then Liga ng mga Barangya president Noli Villarosa were on sick and official leave, respectively.
On Aug. 1, Villarosa and Councilor Sonya Verdeflor were both on official leave./PN
