'Battle of speeches' in the Capitol today
Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico (right) huddles with Board Members
Arthur Defensor, Jr. and Richard Garin during last week's
maiden session of the ninth Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
A. Chris Fernandez photo
Capitol spectators and the Ilonggo public will witness today a virtual showdown of privilege speeches. This, as the new members of the 9th Iloilo Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) 'battle' it out with respective inaugural address.
From Presiding Chair, Vice Governor Rolex Suplico, SP tradition will hear the 9th SP body with the speeches the only items up in today's agenda.
As such, it would be privilege hour for First District Board Member Richard Garin, Second District Board Member June Mondejar, Third District Board Members Arthur Defensor Jr. and Mar Malones, Fourth District Board Members Shalene Hidalgo and George Demaisip and Fifth District Board Members Jesus Salcedo Jr. and Jett Rojas.
To note, reelected Governor Niel Tupas Sr. by SP tradition was also given the chance to be heard before the SP body in a speech that called for unity in the provincial government leadership.
No advance copies of the privilege speeches were made available to the media however The News Today (TNT) gathered that majority will tackle issues of much-needed reforms for the province.
Expected to be addressed as well is the financial state of the Provincial Government alongside promised development to Iloilo's 1,721 barangays and empowerment of the Ilonggo populace.
Meantime, an inventory of undisposed and unacted resolutions and referrals had been made by the SP secretariat showing two SP committees topping the list.
It would be back to zero for municipal and provincial matters that were delegated to former Fourth District Board Member Domingo Oso Jr. and former Fifth District Board Member Niel Tupas Jr.
The duo, both governor's allies and closest in supporters left a trail of unfinished work in the powerful committees chaired. Oso Jr.'s Committee on Ordinances, Legal Matters and Inter-government relations and Tupas Jr.'s Committee on Appropriations topped the list of committees with the most number of unresolved referrals.
Oso Jr. assumed a total of five committee chairmanships in the previous SP body while Tupas Jr. then had four powerful committees.