For the first time in the history of the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Bacolod City under the leadership of Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, the regular session was called off yesterday due to lack of quorum.
Sayson declared that there was “no session” at around 4:30 p.m., after only five of the 14 members of the SP showed up. Normally, the regular session of the SP starts at 3 p.m. every Wednesday. Present were Councilors Sonya Verdeflor, Elmer Sy, Catalino Alisbo, Archie Baribar and El Cid Familiaran, all members of the minority block in the city council known as the First Five. Conspicuously absent were Councilors Em Ang, Caesar Distrito, Dindo Ramos and SK president Keith Ramos, all on official leave based on the records of the SP. Also failed to attend the session were Councilors Carlos Jose Lopez, Homer Bais and ABC president Mona Dia Jardin, all of whom were reportedly on official travel. The SP records showed no justification for the absence of Councilors Al Victor Espino and Roberto “Bobby” Rojas. Maruja Abayon, designated SP administrative officer, revealed that Ang, Distrito and the two Ramoses filed their “sick leave” only hours before the session. She explained that a member of the SP is allowed to file an official leave of absence before, during and after the session. The administrative officer said that in the case of Lopez, Bais and Jardin, the three councilors had shown memoranda covering their official travel. While there was no confirmation that the GP councilors intentionally “boycotted” the session, suspicions were strong that it was their way of protesting the process of choosing the group’s vice mayoralty bet. Mayor Evelio Leonardia announced Tuesday that the national directorate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition had chosen former Councilor Greg Gasataya as the party’s candidate for vice mayor from among the nine contenders whose names were submitted by the local group. While there was no strong opposition against Gasataya’s nomination, several members of the group aired resentments over the process through which Gasataya was selected. “It’s not the choice but the process of choosing our VM candidate that we resent,” a councilor who asked not be named told Watchmen Daily Journal. Lopez and Jardin said the former councilor “is a good choice”, however, they refused to comment on the reported disappointment of several members of the group. On the other hand, Distrito and Espino said that they respect the decision of the party, adding that they will give the full support to Leonardia, Sayson and Gasataya. Espino, however, said that he is open to any plan. “Let’s just wait and see, (the) filing of COC is still on October 1-5,” he added. NATURAL REACTION Leonardia said it is normal for the other members of the group to feel bad. “We are just human beings. I may say, it is the expected natural reaction,” he stressed. Just like Sayson, Leonardia said they are in the process of resolving the issue, adding that “we are just waiting for some developments. Let’s just wait and see.” The mayor clarified that the decision came from NPC chairman Faustino Dy and NPC president Frisco San Juan. The mayor revealed that there were no criteria or measurement set in choosing the vice mayoralty candidate. “We want to avoid comparing one from the others,” he explained. The mayor said he believes in the Sayson-Gasataya partnership, as he further explained that both of them had worked together in the SP in 2007 and 2010. Sayson, on the other hand, assured that they will try to fix everything. He said that due to the number of probable candidates for vice mayor, “it is a normal reaction to feel disappointed.” “We cannot please everybody,” he stressed.The vice mayor said the party has no choice but to select only one vice mayoralty bet./WDJ
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
|