THE Sangguniang Panlungsod of Cebu City will not challenge and try to override Mayor Michael Rama’s veto on the revised real property tax (RPT) code ordinance it approved on Dec. 30, 2022. But a city councilor hopes that the new tax rates that will be reintroduced by the executive department will be “reasonable” and not […]
Tag: council
Mandaue City eyes power shutdowns during fire and calamities
Mandaue City residents may expect power shutdowns should a fire or calamity hit their area. Karlo Cabahug, Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction, and Management Office (MCDRRMO) Assistant Head announced on Monday, January 30, 2023, that the Mandaue City Council is mulling an ordinance for this proactive move. Cabahug said the city government already sent a […]
De los Santos fails to convince Rama-allied councilors to override veto
OPPOSITION Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos failed to convince her colleagues in the Cebu City Council to override Mayor Michael Rama’s veto on her proposed ordinance that would allow them to conduct inquiries with the power of subpoena and contempt. During the Council’s regular session Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, de los Santos attempted to […]
‘Missing’ documents stall Mactan reclamation project
THE Lapu-Lapu City Council has given the proponent of the 400-hectare Mactan North Reclamation and Development Project (MNRDP) until Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, to submit the required documents to push through with the construction, or lose the contract to undertake the project. City Councilor and lawyer Eugene Espedido said Dr. Noli Arnulfo Igano, the president […]
Yanong faces Le for WBC ABC Continental belt
BATTLE-SCARRED veteran Reymond Yanong tries his luck in winning a regional belt as he takes on unbeaten Chinese Le Quan Wang for the World Boxing Council Asian Boxing Council Continental super lightweight belt on Jan. 25 at the Spaceplus Bangkok RCA in Bangkok, Thailand. Yanong has been campaigning internationally since 2019, fighting in Japan, US […]
EXPLAINER: Cebu City Council power of contempt won’t be like how Congress wields it. But Sanggunian, under the approved de los Santos ordinance, can look into almost anything ‘in aid of legislation,’ expanding its power to investigate under the City Charter.
THE ordinance that the Cebu City Council approved on final reading last Wednesday (December 21, 2022) had undergone changes since Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos re-submitted it a week earlier, heeding recommendations of the committee on laws and styling. Its chief problem has been the question of legality. The Supreme Court laid down 58 […]
Search and rescue operations continue after Christmas rains
By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter EMERGENCY responders carried on with search and rescue operations on Tuesday amid continued rains that started days before Christmas in central and southern parts of the Philippines, according to reports from national agencies and local governments. In a situation report as of Dec. 27, the government’s disaster council said […]
EXPLAINER: Cebu City Council risks challenge in court on Kons Mary Ann de los Santos ordinance granting itself power of contempt. First in the country, says Kons Rey Gealon.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED. The Cebu City Council last Wednesday (December 21, 2022) approved on final reading a proposed ordinance seeking to grant itself the power to punish with contempt the failure of any person subpoenaed by the Sanggunian to testify or submit books or documents in connection with an investigation or inquiry. In moving for […]
Ex-Opav chief Dino to get award from City Council
FORMER Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino is set to be awarded by the Cebu City Council. Dino, who was handpicked by then President Rodrigo Duterte to lead the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (Opav) from 2016 to 2022, will be the first-ever recipient of the Order of Rajah Tupas […]
Marcos pushes greater use of satellite imaging
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has instructed the Philippine Space Council (PSC) to help government agencies use satellite imaging in modernizing their operations, the Palace said. In a statement on Tuesday, the Office of the Press Secretary said the President met with the PSC to explore possible applications of satellite imagery in business, agriculture and […]
Espinoza: Is Cebu City’s proposed P50 billion budget realizable?
Without the planned one-time big-time increase in real property tax, the P50 billion budget that Mayor Mike Rama proposed for next year to support his Singapore-like vision for Cebu City could not be attained. Most city councilors, even if they support the Singapore-like dream of the city mayor, could not agree on the imposition of […]
EXPLAINER: Public hearing on Cebu City budget spotlights Sanggunian dilemma: screen expenses or raise taxes first. On P50 billion 2023 outlay, Vice Mayor Garcia says, ‘So what?’ Risky for treasurer, bad for City Council, say Councilors Pesquera, Archival.
WHICH TO DO FIRST. The first of a series of public hearings on the proposed P50 billion budget for 2023 opened Monday (December 5, 2022) with the City Council committee on budget and finance locked in an intense discussion on the dilemma of what to do first. Should they review now the appropriations of about […]
Espinoza: Is Mayor Rama’s Singapore-like dream bound to fail?
I feel so positive that not one Cebuano would ever oppose the dream of Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama to transform the city into like Singapore. Those who’ve been to the island state could attest how orderly and neat the city is all because the Singaporeans are disciplined and the laws are strictly enforced without […]
City dads slam ‘oppressive’ tax hike
SOME members of the Cebu City Council have raised their concerns over the proposed tax increase for 2023 which they deemed “excessive and oppressive” to the people. Lawyer Jerone Castillo, special assistant of Mayor Michael Rama for fiscal matters and special projects, was bombarded with questions from city councilors during the public hearing for the […]
Council to continue hearing on proposed tax code revision
THE Cebu City Council will continue on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022, its public hearing on the proposed ordinance that will revise the city’s tax code and prescribe new rates for business taxes and permits. Councilor Noel Wenceslao, chairman of the committee on budget and finance, told SunStar Cebu on Sunday, Nov. 20 that he cannot […]
Marcos government told to follow through on human rights pledges
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter THE PHILIPPINES under President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. should follow through on its human rights promises to the United Nations (U.N.) and allow people to express dissent, political analysts said at the weekend. “The Philippine government cannot turn a blind eye to the reality of attacks on journalists, lawyers […]
Banking, tech experts and leaders form Blockchain Council of the Philippines
To further promote blockchain technology in the country, leaders from the industries of finance, marketing, and technology have formed the Blockchain Council of the Philippines. Philippine Blockchain Week (PBW) lead convenor, Dr. Donald Lim, announced the formation of the council during a recent press conference held at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City. The […]
Philippines accepts 200 UN suggestions on human rights
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter THE PHILIPPINES has accepted 200 recommendations from the United Nations Human Rights Council, including investigating extralegal killings and protecting journalists. “We do so because these are important areas and issues in which the government is already working, and in many cases, even going beyond the accepted recommendations,” Justice Secretary […]
25 cops in drug war charged, Philippine DoJ tells UN rights council
AT LEAST 25 policemen have been charged with murder in connection to what could have been wrongful deaths in the Philippine government’s war on drugs, its Justice chief told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday. “The government does not hesitate to take action when there is compelling evidence to do so,” Justice Secretary […]
UN told to pressure Philippines on media deaths
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter THE UNITED Nations (UN) Human Rights Council should put pressure on the Philippines to do something about recent journalist killings in the country, especially after its prison chief was implicated in one case, political analysts said at the weekend. “These rampant killings of media practitioners tell the international community […]