ILOILO City – A brewing clash over transparency turned into a procedural showdown in the Iloilo City Council, after a second proposed Freedom of Information (FOI) ordinance was filed barely a week apart from an earlier version.
The latest proposal, authored by Councilor Jose Maria Dela Llana, was met with strong objection from Vice Mayor Lady Julie Grace Baronda, who ruled it as potentially redundant and politically motivated.
“This is just politics,” Baronda said during Wednesday’s session. “We already have an FOI ordinance in the committee. Why the rush to file another one with the same title?”
Baronda invoked Rule 7, Section 1 of the council’s internal rules, which prohibits the filing of another measure covering the same subject matter while one is still under committee deliberation.
“Even if I raise legal points, the majority can always overrule me,” she remarked. “But as presiding officer, I cannot just stay silent when parliamentary rules are being bent in front of me.”
Majority Floor Leader Rex Marcus Sarabia quickly moved to overrule the vice mayor’s objection, calling it baseless and inconsistent with standard legislative practice.
“In Congress and the Senate, multiple lawmakers can file bills on the same subject. They are usually consolidated during committee deliberations,” he said, citing the previous case when Councilor Sheen Marie Mabilog’s proposal to reduce real property tax rates was allowed despite a similar earlier measure.
Sarabia further assured that no one’s legislative work would be set aside, saying both ordinances could be merged with due credit to each author.
“We are not here to take credit away from anyone. If Councilor Mabilog wishes, she can even be made the principal author. What matters is that we serve the public and promote transparency,” he added.
In his sponsorship speech, Dela Llana emphasized that his FOI ordinance aims to “institutionalize transparency and trust” by creating a Central Appeals and Review Committee (CARC) to handle denied information requests.
“The public has the right to know how government works, how decisions are made, and how funds are used,” he said. “Institutionalizing the FOI at the city level empowers citizens to hold their government accountable.”
Mabilog’s version, filed earlier, reportedly carries similar provisions, including the creation of an FOI Desk and an appeals mechanism for denied requests.
Both measures seek to align the city’s policies with Executive Order No. 2 of 2016, which operationalized the FOI in the executive branch.
Despite the tense session, Baronda later said she would “defer to the majority’s decision” but maintained her stance on upholding legislative order.
“I will leave it to their conscience,” she noted. “But as presiding officer, I must ensure that our sessions are conducted properly and that procedures are followed.”
Both FOI measures have passed first reading and are expected to be referred to the committee on good governance and public accountability for consolidation and further deliberation in the coming sessions./PN
