16th CEBU CITY COUNCIL: Minority members okay with exclusion from committees

CEBU, Philippines — Following the annual Cebu City Council reorganization session last Wednesday, minority councilors said they are okay with the result, even if they are left with no committee seats.

It was not the majority’s call also, as there were minority members who declined their nominations.

“That is fine with me. Sa last year nato, ako may minority floor leader. And the chairmanships, the membership sa atong mga committees, okay lang na, wala man mi question, we agree with that,” said City Councilor Nestor Archival, Sr.

Both he and City Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos said that they can still service the public and do their legislative duties despite the lack of committee seats.

Archival said all proposed resolutions and ordinances would still go through the City Council, so they as the minority could still do their job as legislators.

Archival admitted that if given the chance they would want to handle committees of their own chairmanships, but it is not a handicap for them to do their job as city councilors.

To de los Santos, who declined a nomination to be a member of the Committee on Youth and Sports Development, reiterated that she does not want to end up as a “do nothing” member, so she begged off.

She acknowledged that holding committee chairmanships in the City Council is a “game of numbers” and such is no longer new to her.

She revealed that they in the minority were previously asked if they would want to handle a particular committee and she chose the committee on health, committee on education, and the committee on youth and sports development since her advocacies lie in these.

“But for one year, I was not privy to anything, not a committee report, not a meeting, nothing, not even a consultation, or status report on Palaro,” she said. — /RHM (FREEMAN)