Reorganization looms at Talisay council

CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City Councilor Richard Francis Aznar yesterday said the Alayon Party-dominated council agreed to conduct a reorganization of all committee chairmanships and members in next week's session.

This after some members of the minority bloc -- Councilors Danilo Caballero and Aldin Diaz -- were stripped of their executive functions by Mayor Johnny De los Reyes last week.

Aznar, the council's majority floor leader, said that as a way to sympathize with their colleagues, he and members of the Alayon-led majority bloc agreed to give up some of their committee chairmanships.

Among the four Liberal Party allies in the council, only Caballero and Diaz supported the majority to slash the mayor's proposed P1 billion budget for 2015.

Caballero formerly held the post of vice chairman of the City Peace and Order Council and Sports Commission while Diaz served as the mayor's alter-ego to the City Tourism Development Council, Local Health Board and the Information and Communication Technology Department.

While the two councilors are not allied with them, Aznar said they decided to give them additional committee chairmanships because of what they've done in their previous positions.

"We saw that our fellow councilors in the minority bloc have worked hard in their respective functions," he added.

Caballero is chairman of the Committee on Market and Slaughterhouse Affairs while Diaz is the chairman of the Committee on Information and Communication Technology.

Councilor Valeriano Ylanan who remains loyal to De los Reyes will also be affected by the City Council's reorganization although it was not yet revealed how.

Councilor Dennis Basillote said due to politics, the majority bloc will eventually move to remove their committee chairmanships.

Basillote was supposedly the chairman of the Committee on International Affairs and Senior Citizens' Affairs but he declined the two positions.

Ylanan is the chairman of the Committee on Parks and Playgrounds and Agriculture.

But Basillote said even if he and Ylanan will be stripped of their positions, the city mayor assured them that they will be given executive functions.

Basillote said while he doesn't know the nature of his executive appointment, he hopes that the mayor will give him functions related to education and urban poor development.  (FREEMAN)