Lakas/Ugyon dads get sensitive committees in provincial board
ROXAS CITY – Board members who belong to the Lakas-Kampi/Ugyon Kita party were chosen to head the sensitive committees in the Capiz Provincial Board during last Thursday’s regular session.
They are Jeffrey Layo, who chairs the committee on appropriation and finance and committee on agriculture; Carmelo Robles, committee on transportation, communication and public utilities, and committee on land use, zoning, coastal use and housing;
James Magbanua, committee on education and committee on rules and accountability; Mimi Ardivilla, committee on health and committee on laws and good Government; Blesilda Perez Almalbis, committee on social welfare, women, family and persons with disability, and committee on reorganization.
Their allies who are ex-officio members are Liga ng mga Barangay Federation president Clemente Castro Firmalino, committee on barangay affairs, and committee on infrastructure and public works; Philippine Councilor’s League president Francis Dave Juanico, committee on local government; and Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president Bettina Bayot, committee on youth and sports development.
On the other hand, Liberal Party board members who got chairmanships are: Aldwin Cruz-Am, committee on economic affairs, trade and industry, and committee on ethics; Roberto Ignacio, committee on senior citizen, and committee on public order and security;
Eduardo Magallanes, committee on environment, and committee on ways and means; Jonathan Besa, committee on cooperative, and committee on tourism, culture, arts, history and indigenous people; and Remia Fuentes Bartolome, committee on labor, and committee on justice and human rights.
Earlier, the selection of committee chairmanships was the subject of debates among board members on whether ex-officio members can participate in the selection process.
Bartolome said an ex-officio member could not vote or hold chairmanship in any committee based on a Department of Interior and Local Government opinion in 1999.
However, Layo dismissed the DILG opinion as a “mere opinion” that could not be adopted unless it is a jurisprudence.
Robles had said in his privilege speech that ex-officio members should participate in the selection process because he enjoyed such privilege when he was also an ex-officio member in Jamindan town.
Members of the minority bloc voted to postpone the selection process to wait for the latest DILG implementing rules and guidelines. However, Lakas/UKC members insisted for the selection of committee chairmanships to pushthrough.
The session was presided by Magbanua because Vice Gov. Esteban Contreras was on official travel.
