SANGGUNIANG BAYAN

OF
NAAWAN,
MISAMIS ORIENTAL
Pat Ray M. Dagapioso
February 19, 2010
CASS Accreditation Room
 What is this talk all about?
• A. Vision
• B. Mission
• C. Functions of the SB
• D. Observation
• E. Problems with the SB
• F. Recommendations
 Vision
• Naawan is envisioned to become a haven
for environmentally friendly agro-based
light industries, a leading producer of
agricultural products, a manpower
development center in the CIC area based
on sustainable utilization of resources and
attainment of peaceful residential refuge,
just and harmonious community.
 Mission
• Naawan shall embark on an accelerated
development programs that will exhibit
political, economic and social stability of
the municipality through effective delivery
of services; greater community and private
sector participation, and equity.
 Sangguniang Bayan of Naawan
• What is a Sangguniang Bayan?
• Is a collegial body and a local legislative
body.
• Its primary function is legislation.
• SB legislates ordinances and resolutions.
 Composition
• SB of Naawan is composed of 10 elected
officials. One Vice Mayor, eight councilors,
one Sangguniang Kabataan Federated
Chair, and one President of the Municipal
Chapter of the Liga ng mga Barangay.
• The SB Office is headed by the
Sangguniang Secretary, which is my boss
at the office.
 Fig. 1. The Sangguniang
Bayan of Naawan in Session.
Functions of the SB
• The Local Government Code of
1991, RA 7160, listed the dual
functions of the SB.
• These are: A. Local Legislative
Functions and B. Quasi-Judicial
Functions.
 Legislative Powers
• The SB is given 68 legislative
powers, duties and functions by
the Local Government Code.
• The most important of which is:
‘1. The Sangguniang Bayan, …
shall enact ordinances, approve
resolutions and appropriate
funds for the general welfare of
the Municipality…’
 Other Legislative Powers
• ‘4. Maintain peace and order by
enacting measures to prevent and
suppress lawlessness…’
• ’22. Prescribe reasonable limits
and restraints on the use of
property within jurisdiction of the
Municipality.’
• ‘5o. Approve ordinances which
shall ensure the efficient and
effective delivery of the basic
services and facilities…’
Other Legislative Powers
’30. Regulate the numbering of
residential, commerical and other
buildings.’
• ’43. Regulate the disposal of clinical
and other wastes from hospitals,
clinics and other similar
establishments.’
• ’53. Authorize establishment… of
marine and seashore or offshore
activities intended to accelerate
productivity’
 Passing An Ordinance
• A.     First Reading:  1.      The secretary shall
read only the title of the proposed ordinance
introduced and the name of the author/s.
– 2.      The presiding officer shall refer the
proposed ordinance to the proper
committees/s of the author/s.
•  B.     Second Reading:  1.      On the day of the
consideration of the proposed ordinance, the
secretary shall read the same in full, together
with all the amendments as the committee/s
concerned may have proposed.
– 2.      The proposed ordinance shall thereafter
be opened for public hearing, if necessary,
debate, discussion, amendment and all
proper parliamentary motions.
 Passing An Ordinance

• C.     Third Reading:  1.      After the

termination of the debate or discussion on
the proposed ordinance its title shall be read
and the Sangguniang Panlungsod shall then
proceed to vote finally on it.
– 2.      The second and third reading may be done,
if practicable, on the same day or session, at the
body’s discretion.
– 3.      An ordinance may be recommitted at
anytime previous to its final passage.
 Approval of an Ordinance
• a.       Every ordinance and all resolutions
directing the payment of money or creating
liability enacted or adopted by the Sanggunian
shall be signed first by the Presiding Officer
before the same shall be presented to the City
Mayor for his approval, who shall return the
same within ten (10) from receipt thereof with
his approval or veto.  If the City Mayor does
not return it within the said period, the
ordinance or resolution shall be deemed
approved as if he had signed it.
 Observations
• 1. The Sangguniang
Bayan Office houses
the ordinances and
resolutions passed by
the Sanggunian
through the years up
to the present.
• 2. The researchers job
there is to store digital
copies of resolutions
from 1990s to the
present.
Observations
• 3. Part of the
researcher’s job is to
photocopy original
documents submitted
by all the departments
of the Municipality. This
includes letters, entry
forms, notices, and
department reports.
 Observations
• 4. The SB Office has two employees
working on it, the SB Secretary and the SB
clerk. Practically the SB Secretary holds
the records of the SB in session, and he is
the one who writes and formulates the
wordings of the ordinances and
resolutions enacted. The SB clerk, helps in
encoding, photocopying and preparing
snacks and drinks for every session.
 Observations
• 5. Mondays are session days. The office is busy
preparing snacks and drinks for the SB
Members. The SB members are accommodating
and are friendly, but some don’t just come on
time.
• 6. The SB office is a truly public office. Every
person, relatives of employees try to use the
office’s resources to their benefits as much as
they could, i.e., photocopying documents that
are not really office works (e.g. school projects,
TORs). This may in some sense mean abuse of
government resources.
 Observations
• 7. The SB office work is not as competitive
or as challenging as other departments, as
opposed to the Audit or the Treasury
Department. The work consists of only
encoding, sorting of files, and
photocopying. The toughest job on the SB
may have been the washing of the dishes
after every SB luncheons.
 Observations
• 8. As some of the members of the SB
comes late, the SB secretary and the SB
clerk comes on time. Though, in most
often cases, the SB secretary leaves work
before the time.
• 9. The SB secretary’s salary is higher than
most SB members and even higher than
the Vice Mayor’s. This can be attributed to
his longevity (16 years) in the profession.
 Observations
• 10. Many Resolutions are passed,
compared to Ordinances. This is so
because resolutions are temporary in
character and are just merely a declaration
of sentiments of the body, while and
ordinance is a law, and is rather
permanent.
 Problems
• The researcher encountered no serious
problem in his conduct and in his job
in the SB.
• The working relationship with the
researcher and the SB staff is most
often cordial (see image).
• The problems presented here then are
the problems encountered by the SB
staff through the years.
 Problems
• 1. Political-in-Nature
• SB Secretary Mr.
Victorino Baslot (right,
white shirt) attributes one
of the problems of the SB
with the interplay of
politics.
• A. First case. Mr. Baslot
attributes the stalled
ordinances to the political
bickering of political
opponents.
 Problems
• A. If the mayor belongs to an opposite party, and
majority of the SB members are of the opposing
party, there is a high possibility that a certain
ordinance that a mayor endorses or favors may
not be enacted by the Sanggunian. This may
result into an important ordinance rot in the
pages of uncertainty. Mr. Baslot refers this page
in Naawan history, when Mayor E. Niere was in
office and the SB was headed by the now Mayor
D. Roa, of which both belongs to opposing
parties.
 Problems
• B. Appropriation of the budget. When in
the same case, most of the SB members are not
in good terms with the mayor, and the SB is
about to approve the budget of the municipality,
then it will result to no newly approved budget
appropriations.
• How will this be remedied? Mr. Baslot answered
that the SB will resort to ‘status quo’. This means
that the previous years appropriation will be
used for the incoming year.
 Problems
• C. Ordinances and Resolutions.
Is the SB aware of the ordinances’
performance after being enacted?
Mr. Baslot offered a yes answer. He
adds that some were effective. But
he also then interrupted that some
were not. In an apologetic sense, Mr.
Baslot points out that it is of the
Local Chief Executive to implement
the laws. Though, the SB has
oversight functions, he merely
laughs it off.
 Problems
• D. Attendance of the SB Members.
The researcher found out that some SB
members comes late during sessions. And
one SB member who is suffering from
stroke, doesn’t regularly come to sessions.
But Mr. Baslot quickly refuted that
attendance of the SB members are not that
a big issue. And he also adds that a
quorum is always observed during SB
sessions.
 Problems
• E. Corruption.
• Mr. Baslot hesitates to give a perspective
comment about this topic. Though he was
kind to say that in theory, the Commission
on Audit is there to check how the flow of
money and resources is being done. And
adds that it is hard to get passed by the
intricate procedures within the COA.
 Problems
• F. First Time SB Councilors. Mr. Baslot
notes that new SB councilors are sometimes
present a ‘challenge’ to the working
relationship with him and other long term-er
councilors. Though the DILG gives a seminar in
July after the councilors receive their posts, Mr.
Baslot points out that it takes months for these
new councilors to adjust to the working
conditions in the SB. Mr. Baslot also points out
that he being a subordinate of the SB Members
(though he owns more cash than they do), he
transitions himself to better work
harmoniously with the new Sb members, rather
than the other way around.
 Problems
• G. Education of the SB Members.
• As the parliamentary procedures observed are in English,
SB members are required to speak on it too. But Mr.
Baslot, points out that there are some SB members who
has not even finished high school (no statistics offered),
would really have a hard time catching up in the debates
in the session. Mr. Baslot jokingly offers an incident, of
which one SB member not realizing how the English
discussion goes, raised late his hand after realizing that
most of his contemporaries raised their hands earlier.
This could mean the unproductivity of a an Sb member
in the chamber.
Recommendations
• These are some of the
recommendations the
researcher would like
to share to make the
agency more
productive and
competitive.
 Recommendations
• 1. More qualification requirements for SB Members.
• Though the constitution only assigns, ‘read and write’ as the
basic qualification requirements for public elected officials, it
is of a fact that candidates for elections includes who can
‘read and write’ but not that well. Officials who can read and
write but not that well, may just become political wallflowers,
sitting in the bench, waiting for snacks, copying other Sb
members’ actions (whether ruight or wrong), and practically
do nothing productive. The researcher recommends, though
far fetched, but still is a good idea to include college degree
as a barometer for public officials. This assures us that the
people who works for our benefits and safety are the people
we know has the knowledge and skills to make our lives
better.
 Recommendations
• 2. Capability Enhancing Seminar.
• The DILG holds a seminar weeks after the SB
members are sworn into office. But Mr. Baslot
hinted that the skills of SB members, especially
the new ones are not par with the veterans in the
job. Thus, a continuing, comprehensive, and
intensive capability enhancing seminar shall be
initiated to further improve the abilities of the
SB members in crafting their legislative skills.
 Recommendations
• 3. Promotion of Transparency.
• As the people become enlightened and are
wanting more transparency from the local
leaders up to the national leaders, it is of
utmost importance that the working in the
local legislative body be seen in the public
and be open for transparency, as what the
constitution mandates it to be. It is then
recommended to shift back to the televised
SB sessions done in the first 3 years in the last
decade. The televised SB sessions would give
Naawan-ons a glimpse of how the laws that
affects them are crafted and in so doing share
their inputs and reactions regarding the
things that affects them dearly.
Thank You!

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