Outgoing members to be feted today

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella said outgoing members of the Cebu City Council will be recognized during its last regular session today.

Labella said third termer councilors will be recognized and acknowledged. However, he did not disclose the details of the recognition as of 3 p.m. yesterday.

“Well of course, there would be acknowledgements and recognitions to those who will graduate,” he said.

Labella said he will not make specific details on the activity of the last regular session of the 14th Sangguniang Panlungsod.

The agenda for today’s last regular session is 18 pages. The session will start at 1 p.m.

At least six of the 18 members will no longer come back in the legislative body next month, while eight members were re-elected.

The members who will no longer be coming back are three-termer City Councilor Margarita Osmeña, Councilor James Anthony Cuenco who wants to retire from public office, Councilor Jose Daluz III who wants to take a break from politics, and those Councilors who did not make it in the last elections such as Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos, Jocelyn Pesquera, and Pastor Alcover, Jr.

The fate of four members of the City Councilors Alvin Arcilla, Sisinio Andales, Jerry Guardo, and Joel Garganera is still in limbo with the pending disqualification of Arcilla and Andales.

Should the disqualification of Arcilla and Andales is implemented, Guardo and Garganera, who are next in the ranks, will replace them at the City Council.

There are six members of the legislative body that were re-elected – Councilors David Tumulak, Eugenio Gabuya, Jr., Eduardo Rama, Jr., Raymond Alvin Garcia, Renato Osmeña, Jr., and Joy Augustus Young.

Two ex-officio members of the body – Association of Barangay Councils-Cebu City Chapter President Franklyn Ong and Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Jessica Resch – will still be part of the council next month.

As this developed, Labella, who will sit as chief executive of the city next month, said the “simple” oath taking ceremony of the Partido Barug-PDP Laban winning bets will be on June 30 at Plaza Sugbo grounds.

The event will start with a Holy Mass at 10 a.m. and followed by the oath taking.

Supreme Court Justice Amy Lazaro Javier will administer the oath taking of the councilors-elect, Vice Mayor-Elect Michael Rama, and mayor-elect on Sunday.

“It’s final, June 30. It’s because that’s of course the last day we take our oath nga effective ang atong paglingkod on noontime of June 30. It’s a Sunday so anybody can attend,” Labella said. (FREEMAN)