Tan: The councilors overseas should not have traveled ‘en masse’

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Bacolod City Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) suspended their regular session yesterday after they were unable to make quorum. With a total of five members showing up, City Councilor Ricardo Tan declared “no quorum.”

Currently, Bacolod City Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, along with Grupo Progreso members of the local legislative body, namely City Councilors Caesar Distrito, Em Ang, Cindy Rojas, Renecito Novero, Dindo Ramos, and Bartolome Orola, are abroad; in addition, City Councilors Sonya Verdeflor and Noli Villarosa are on leave.

“We cannot constitute a quorum even if there is only one absent,” Tan explained. “We only have seven councilors, so, if one goes absent then it is no longer possible.”

He pointed out, there are a lot of pending resolutions that need to be addressed and, noted, the regular session could have proceeded if the overseas city officials had not traveled together.

“I’m not stopping their travel, there is no problem with it; however, they shouldn’t travel en masse because it would jeopardize the SP,” the city councilor stated.

Tan also blamed Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia for the situation.

“He is the one who approves the travel order, he is the mayor,” the city official said. “He could have used his foresight and advised his group that only three or four should go.”/DGB, WDJ