ILOILO City — Thirteen legislative proposals of Vice Mayor Lady Julie Grace Baronda, including measures seeking to establish a unified emergency hotline, provide mandatory water breaks for workers and students, and reward outstanding graduates, now face an uncertain future after the Sangguniang Panlungsod voted to restrict her participation in legislative proceedings.
The 12 proposed ordinances and one resolution have been left in the hands of various council committees, which will determine whether the measures can advance following the 13-1 vote adopting a Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) opinion defining the limits of the vice mayor’s legislative authority.
The development has shifted attention from the political confrontation between Baronda and the council majority to the fate of legislative proposals covering emergency response, education, public health, volunteerism and institutional reforms.
Although the council stopped short of discarding the proposals outright, their continued deliberation will depend on the committees handling them and, potentially, regular councilors willing to sponsor and defend the measures.
Councilor Rex Marcus Sarabia, chairman of the Committee on Rules, said the respective committees would determine the disposition of Baronda’s pending proposals.
Sarabia had initially proposed striking out the 12 ordinances and one resolution, but Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna suggested referring them to the appropriate committees instead, leaving open the possibility of their continued consideration.
The compromise spared the proposals from immediate rejection but provided no assurance that they would eventually reach the council floor for further deliberation.
Among the measures facing an uncertain legislative future is the unified emergency hotline, which proposes establishing a three-digit emergency number for Iloilo City patterned after the United States’ 911 system.
The measure seeks to consolidate the multiple emergency hotlines maintained by different government agencies into a single number to simplify public access to emergency assistance.
Passed on first reading in August 2025, the proposal remains pending before the Committee on Information Technology.
Another affected measure is the mandatory water break periods ordinance, which seeks to require water breaks for workers and students. It is pending before the committees on health and labor.
The cash incentives or rewards for exemplary Ilonggo graduates proposed ordinance, which sets financial rewards for outstanding graduates, is awaiting action by the Committee on Education.
Also affected is the proposed santi-prank, hoax, and non-emergency calls to city hotlines ordinance, intended to address calls that could disrupt emergency hotline operations.
The Iloilo City Volunteerism Program measure, which seeks to institutionalize volunteerism initiatives, is pending before the committees on social services and barangay affairs.
Other proposals involve institutionalizing the council’s official address, legislative mace, seal, correspondence protocols and official logo.
These measures were among those cited by Councilor Romel Duron in questioning Baronda’s participation in sponsorship speeches and floor debates.
Legal restrictions spark legislative uncertainty
The uncertainty surrounding Baronda’s proposals followed the council’s adoption of DILG Opinion No. 95, Series of 2025, into its internal rules of procedure.
The resolution, pushed by Duron following deliberations on a 24-page committee on rules report, was approved by 13 councilors, with Councilor Sheen Marie Mabilog, a minority member allied with Baronda, casting the lone dissenting vote.
The DILG opinion, as cited in the committee report, distinguishes the vice mayor’s responsibilities as presiding officer from the legislative functions reserved for regular councilors.
Under the guidelines adopted by the council, the vice mayor is expected to maintain impartiality while presiding over sessions and generally may vote only to break a tie.
Duron accused Baronda of repeatedly crossing the boundaries of her position by temporarily relinquishing the presiding officer’s chair and joining regular councilors on the legislative floor to sponsor and defend measures she had proposed.
“While we acknowledge the intent behind these measures, the manner in which they were defended on this floor by the presiding officer is an absolute violation of law and jurisprudence,” Duron said.
He cited Section 456 of Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, and Supreme Court rulings in Javier vs Cadiao and Gambon vs Aguirre to support his position.
Duron maintained that the DILG Opinion prohibits presiding officers from participating in floor debates, sponsoring legislative measures, delivering privilege speeches or temporarily stepping down from the rostrum to perform the functions of regular councilors.
He argued that Baronda’s sponsorship speeches, manifestations and participation in debates on pending measures were ultra vires, or beyond her legal authority, and should be considered procedurally void.
Duron also warned that retaining what he considered unauthorized legislative interventions in the council’s official records could create procedural complications.
He said Baronda should instead enlist regular councilors to formally adopt, sponsor and defend her proposals during legislative deliberations.
However, the council’s decision to refer the measures to their respective committees, rather than strike them out, means their eventual disposition remains unresolved.
Baronda vows to continue serving
Baronda, meanwhile, maintained that the council majority’s decision would not prevent her from continuing to serve the public.
“Despite what happened today, I remain grateful for everyone’s continued support, trust, and love,” Baronda said.
“The majority of the councilors may have denied me the opportunity to speak within the halls of the council, but they can never silence my commitment to serve and be a voice for the people,” she added.
“My voice goes beyond the session hall. Padayon lang kita!” Baronda said./PN
