Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF THE INIERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

A. Francisco Gold Condominium ll Bldg, EDSA
corner Mapagmahal St., Diliman, Quezon City

ILEGALL SEIRVIIGE

DILG OPINION NO. I22 S. 2OIO

[.tut t I 2916

HON. CHLRVL A. IRINIDAI}

HON. VICENCIA L. SECUYA
5angguniang Bayan Members
Nabunturan, Compostella Valley

Dear 5B Members Trinidad and Secuya:

This pertains to your letter-query seeking our legal opinion on the following
issues, to wit:

"1. ls our practice in adopting the report correct and proper?

2. ls there an existing law that mandates local sanggunian to follow

' what is being written in the book by lcnown authors?

3. Or thus the sanggunian itself has its autonomy to formulate its

own lnternal Rules of Procedures particularly in the adoption of
the Committee reDort?"

ln reply thereto, please be informed that we already answered queries similar to

those you raised above in DILG Opinion No. 76, s. 2OO7, dated 30 July 2009. In
the said Opinion, we opined that Sanssunians are empowered to adopt their
respective lnternal Rules of Procedure, subject to the mandatory requirements
provided under Section 50 of the Local Government Code (RA 7160) and
provided further that it must be consistent with the Constitution and other
pertinent laws.

For your ready reference, please find the enclosed copy of the Opinion.

Thank you and warm regardi.

Very truly yourr,

By Authority of the Secretary:

UE IV

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O5 September 2O07

IION. AMAI}O K. GO
Sangguniang Panlalawigan F{ernber
Provincial CaPitol Bttilding
Tarlac City

Dear Sir:

This perkdns to your lletter s;'eelliiir|g this Department's legal oPinion on

whetlrero[.nottheVice0ov.erno]l"a$ll"residingofficercouldbeachairman
of any of the Sanggunian's r'r:grular' or standing aornmittegs'

This issue arose when, trased on DILO Opinion ftos' 114' s'
1994'
and 245, s. 1992, where this Departnrent opined that the
Vice Mayor or Vice
purpose but
Oovemor may chair a sPealal committee created for a special
Rules of Procedure
cannot head a regular comrlrittee, the previous Internal
(lRP) of the previous Sangguniang Panlalawigan of that
province explicitly
prohibited the Presiding Oit'ltout to chair or be a rnember
of any regula-r
committee brnt atlowed hiln to chair special or Ad H€c
committees'
Ure Vice Qovernor' as
Different \iiews th,en crtlppe'r'l uP. Fbr instance' that
because there is no
Presiding Officer is allowea t'o lrold a regular comrnittee'
fle;nce' your query'
suclr protrlbition under the [,ocal Ciovernment Code'
be answered
ln rePly thereto, pleai'e be intbrmed that your query carl
to show you how we
from the pioui"iorr" of your Adopted IKP' Allow us then
came uP vrith such concluslon'

The sources of Parliariinentaiy Rules of Procedure,

of a sanggunian' as
the {'rder of hierarchy' to
a legislative oI deliberative body, ane arranged in
co<le; (5) .iudicial
wih (l) the 19A? Qomstituitl,our; izl trru l.ocal oovernrnt;nt
of the Sanggunian;
Decisions; (4) Adopt'ed Inll'rarnall fduXes of Froceclure

gst expresslo
applginE the legal tw'wxim exPressio 141\ Iys uf one thinE
T alterius, wh&clr. ***nou t:nff6*entior., .,ffif
ffi 6'nnu.:"1r.::::" j,J,i,?f.iJfr"[;#'; jf
t tr#krn,#:"#l:-:f"!,fr.-*i;;;'"-r:;"b'f'a*arttaipioatnctal
i[;f]ffi

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" ,!t ,,

(5) Parliarnentary Fracticej (ai) Fatllarl lcurtary Authors;

and (Z) Custorns and
Usage. When we say ,, rnt,yf' in tlw ,rdt:i oJ, Irierurclry,,,
v/e mean that the
higher soulce sha{ talre prea,edena,e .,v,eL the rower source.
In ourer words,
the lower source can only b,e appniecll lll ttrre ahsenc,e of the
higher source.
lvlay we now exarnine dre -/gti7 cortst:ihrtiovt and see
whether or
there are parniamentary plocedulu",es ,r:ontai'ecn therein that applies'ot
to
sanggunials. unfortunately, wh e tt,*re are parliamentary rures contained
in the Constitution, |he sam,e, howev(ru., apply or y to Congress. The next
source would be the Lottl Couerttnu,ut Co e and the sources of
Parliamentury Rules of procedure calr lre fbnund from sections
4g to E9_
section 49 of the same cocre speaks of the povrrers and limitations of the
Presiding officer. on the ouher hat,dl, $iection bo spealis of the manner
by
which comrnlttee melnbersnlip antil chr i.rnanship are to be determined. lvlav
we qmphasize that seation$ 49 arrtr bo do not contain any prohibition or
allowance on the presiding officer t,o hold or chair a regular committee.
There is i' fact nothing aLEo there that expressly allowed the presiding
officer to hold a special conu'nittee" ln short, sections a9 and so are silent
on the matter. Because of tlds sitlerrce of the tocar eovernment code. we
have to go down to ttne nexf lower s,ource, w]hlc]r is ',fuclicfuJ Decisions,,_
Judicial Decisions wouuld rel',c;n' to Eiupl,erne coul-t dLoatrines or padiamentary
rules and proced'res. [J',['ort'nately, however, we have yet [o see a
Supreme Court decision th;irt deals on the issue at hand. Such being the
case, we have to go down [,, the next lower source, r,uhich is the Acloated
htenml llulcs of Procadure. hr this regard, may r,{/e note that Sanggunians are
expressry ernpowered, underr' section 50 0f the [,ocal oovemment code, to
adopt its oum Internal X{ules,rlf Frocedure (trKl"). Such power, however, does
not carry u,ith it th,e power [,r.r, alter or ltrLodify or disregard the provisions of
law. Conscquerit-ly, th,e IRF ,L',lf the lianggunian can only provide for matters
that are noit yet governed by lllhe Local eovernrnent code; source, particularly
sections 4a to 59 of the Lo*rl oovellrnent code and orher applicable taws.
Ilence, since as earlier statctl, sections 49 and 5o are ;rilent as to whether
or not tlre Vice Govemor as presiding officer can hohl or chair a regular
committee, this matter can l[!,e properly dealt with ir-l the l{dopted IRp of the
Sanggunian. 'lherefore, if 1ili-,,e Adopted IKI, expressly prohibits the Vice
Qovernor tm Fresidlrrrg offii,L:er to lhotrd a regulan cor nmittee, then saio
provision o,f uhe IBIP stlalil pl'evail" nf on the other harrnd, he is expressly
allowed, then surch provision slhali also prevail. lilowever., if the Adopted IBp
is silent on the matter, therl we hav,r: [o go down to thr; next lower source.
which is "Farliatnentaqr Practice-. Under setfled parliarmenta4r practice, a

applging the legal rn,sximt expressio 14ry!&q sist expressio

alterius, wtric}l. medws that the rwention uf one thimE
irnptibs the exclwsi-rtn <af tlne othet-, i:t is, thurefore, cleer
thcl:t mot lnclwing beew wrcnti.o,ned hg Sectdon [;A8 P) of the
.t crccul Gou,enrunrevu& C(:rale to be pwrt of tlt'e Proaitt,cia!

I
 -5.
cliaif a r,egular committee but may
presidirag oificen is noll allovf,r,r.! to xnolcll ,r..,r

be allowed t,o holcl or chail' a spetllull or Ad f{oc cornmittee for specific

purpose.

The ioregoing aonsidelcdl, yortlll' query. therelfore, can be ansvrered by

the applicatrrle provisions of llllle A'dL,opt'r,rJ Xfi-F oX tha{: Sanggunian'

On ttrris note, please h,e infoti'urled that there ls no inconsistency

between thls Opinion and the previotus ll)llLo Opinion Nos' 114, s' 1994, and
245, s. 1992, which yotl citerX ln yol-ttlt lqrilrter.

Hope we Jhave enllgtrltetle'd y'otu 'r'r'rl the rnailter'

Very truly yours,

Undersecretary

legalt45/x.n

cc: Direct()rJosefinaCastilla'Otr
DILO Regional Oflice No. Oi'
San fernando CitY. PamPatt{|lJ

ttd etvlrLLtt'i \tJ LrLtu tlt''LtL4

apptging tlrle legal tl,lu'sNint egrye-1gia u4ius gst exptessi's

;li.frG, whtcttt PltGi&Ir.$ tltw:t' the mewtiorl at'f one tcl'e@ttinE
l*ptiet'tnt exctrusiovr ttf lLhLe othev't tt isr.ttte,l.refotre'
!;oB (b) of the
thit not haaing beew 'niewtianed trtg Sectiorc
Local Goverltrfieftt C'oele ts ne poLrt of tte Provincial