BACOLOD City – Starting this week, police personnel will man the session hall during sessions of the city council.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said he requested Bacolod City Police Office head Senior Superintendent Francisco Ebreo to deploy some of his men to the Bacolod City Government Center.
This is a preemptive measure should there be another “boxing” incident at session hall, according to Familiaran.
The vice mayor was referring to last week’s incident involving councilors Jesus Claudio Puentevella and Dindo Ramos.
On Sept. 12, Puentevella punched Ramos on the face while the city council was on recess at the session hall.
Prior to that, Puentevella and Ramos had engaged in a heated debate regarding an urgent matter the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has to act on in relation to the city government’s sanitary service contract with the IPM Construction and Development Corp.
The matter was settled as the SP authorized Mayor Evelio Leonardia to sign the contract for the construction of Cell No. 2 at the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa.
SP did this while Puentevella was excluded from the session.
On Sept. 14, Puentevella made a public apology, saying that he was “not perfect” and that he has his “own flaws.”
He added that he “takes full responsibility” over what he did which he “can never be proud of.”
Ramos has yet to comment after Puentevella issued the apology. But he earlier said he will file charges against Puentevella before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Meanwhile, Familiaran said the SP had their regular session rescheduled today instead of Wednesday.
The councilors will fly to Zamboanga tomorrow to attend the Philippine Councilors League convention, added Familiaran./PN
