‘Anemic’ agenda making
SP sessions shorter
Are Davao City councilors conspiring to produce less legislative proposals under floor leader Danilo Dayanghirang to explain why the council’s agenda for regular sessions becoming anemic?
This question surfaced as city councilors meet today for the session with only a few legislative items for consideration, in a pattern that has been established since Dayanghirang replaced councilor Bonifacio Militar as floor leader four weeks ago.
In today’s agenda, calendared for First Reading are 20 items in addition to a lone item on a local development plan on children concerns authored by councilor Angela Trinidad-Librado. There is no item for Third Reading, the last step for an ordinance to be approved, that normally consumes, along with items for Second Reading, a lot of hours of deliberation on the floor by the councilors.
The thinning agenda reportedly had been worrying Council Secretary Zuleika Lopez, who had been sending her staff to offices of councilors to follow up on submission of legislative proposals.
A councilor however dismissed speculations the lean output was a product of conspiracy, saying proposals still could be setting at the office of the new floor leader awaiting a review.
“Appreciating legislative proposals for second and final reading entails study,” said the councilor who begged anonymity, who said he has already submitted several proposals for second reading which have not been included in today’s agenda.
Several councilors earlier had expressed apprehension Dayanghirang, who also chairs the committee on rules which reviews proposals before they are calendared for second or third reading, may not be up to the job that requires strong legal background.
Dayanghirang is the first non-lawyer to hold the floor leadership previously held by such legal luminaries as councilors Victorio Advincula, Immanuel Galicia and Bonifacio Militar.
Councilor Nilo Abellera as soon as Dayanghirang was installed early last month after Militar resigned, said Dayanghirang may not be up for the job having no legal background. The other day, Dayanghirang admitted having hired three legal researches to help him out with his new task.
The lean output in today’s session also runs in contrast with Dayanghirang’s announcement in a television program on Sunday that he would fast-tract all legislative proposals as floor leader.
Filed under: City councilors, davao city | Tagged: city, councilors, dayanghirang, militar
