San Fernando Council assigns new committee chairmanships

The San Fernando Municipal Council has finalized its new committee chairmanships following the deaths of four of its members two months ago.

Five municipal councilors were able to hold session Monday, March 4, after they were given the go signal by the Department of Interior and Local Government even if they lacked four members.

During the session, acting presiding chairman Philipp Jude Medalla and four members of the Municipal Council, namely, Eutiquio Baricuatro, Erico Enad, Teodorico Luzano and Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) president and ex-officio member Riyadh Christopher Oacan approved the new committee chairmanships in order for their work to continue despite the deaths.

Five committees which were chaired by three of the deceased councilors were also given new chairpersons.

The committees on peace and order and environment, which were formerly chaired by the late Councilor Alfonso Donaire IV, is now headed by Councilor Edwin Villaver. Donaire was gunned down last month.

Villaver also chairs the committees on infrastructure and labor and employment. Villaver retained these committees despite being absent for two months. Villaver, along with Donaire, no longer appeared since January 21 after the death of former Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president Johnny Arriesgado.

The education committee was given to Lozano while the committee on trade and industry, which was chaired by the late councilor Reneboy Dacalos, is now under Enad.

Oacan was appointed as acting chairman of the committee on barangay affairs. The committee was vacated following the death of ABC president Ricardo Reluya Jr. Arriesgado, being the duly elected ABC vice president, was supposed to take Reluya’s place but he was also gunned down. /