Councilors' Tuesday OBs temporarily suspended

DAVAO City Vice Mayor Bernard Al-ag yesterday said that he will temporarily suspend approval applications for Official Business (OB) of councilors on Tuesdays to hasten discussion and approval of items that need the vote of at least three-fourths of the Council.

"Temporarily, I will not be approving OB status every Tuesday to make sure that there will be three-fourths number in the next session," he said.

Al-ag said that this administrative action is immediately effective starting yesterday.

This developed after Committee on Housing , Rural and Urban Development (Main Committee on low end project) Rene Elias Lopez said that the pending items on allowable use of land for sand and gravel applications would have to be deferred the seventh time yesterday due to the lack of councilors present to discuss or approve it.

The items include applications for additional allowable use of land for the commercial earthfill quarry located in Barangay New Valencia, Davao

City; sand and gravel quarry located along Davao River, Barangay Bantol, Marilog District, Davao City; and two applications for sand and gravel quarry along Lasang River, Barangay Mabuhay, Paquibato District, Davao City.

Yesterday, during the roll call of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, five councilors were not able to attend the earlier part of the session due to various reasons. Councilors April Dayap, Marissa Abella, and Avegayle DalodoOrtiz were on official business while Councilors Diosdado Mahipus, and Jimmy Dureza were marked absent.

Lopez, the proponent of the items for approval, said he had almost given up and planned to archiving it but with Al-ag's move, he is hopeful that the Council may be ble to vote and dispose of the item.

Yesterday, Lopez was given a chance to present the committee report of the items but no voting was conducted.