Antique legislators learn more about their quasi-judicial functions

By Judy Mae Magdato-Sajo

More than 100 Vice Mayors and Sangguniang Bayan members of the Province of Antique, together with their respective Sanggunian Secretaries, sharpened their knowledge on the Quasi-Judicial functions of the legislative body in a training conducted by the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines-Antique Chapter and the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Antique Local Governance Provincial Resource Center (ALGPRC) on March 9-11, 2020 at San Jose de Buenavista.

In her welcome remarks, VMLP Antique Chapter President Genevive L. Reyes said, “We have to expand our roles as legislators and make space for revolutionizing the meaning of being a legislator”.

Reyes added that legislators should not limit themselves to traditional legislation, but rather open themselves to public service in their respective localities.

The partnership with DILG Antique, she said, could open a venue for clarification of issues and concerns that could hinder legislators from utilizing the legislative process to its full potential.

VMLP Antique is the latest member of ALGPRC’s Multi-Sectoral Advisory Committee (MSAC). The training, one in a series that shall be conducted by the partnership this year, is part of the Program for Newly Elected Officials (NEO).

Among the speakers was Ronald Barcena, formerly a Sangguniang Panlalawigan member of the Province of Rizal and one of the leading lecturers on local legislation in the country, who tackled the Quasi-Judicial Process and Parliamentary Procedures; and Antique Sangguniang Panlalawigan Secretary J Turalba Gabin, who presented their DILG Excell-award winning legislations that were both innovative and effective.

The participants were also briefed on the NEO program by DILG regional office focal person Medel Espinosa, while DILG Antique Cluster Head Grace Natalie Azarraga and Municipal Local Government Operations Officer (MLGOO) Ildefonso Orquejo Jr. presented the indicators for the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) and the Excell Awards.

As an output of the activity, each municipality submitted a Legislative Action Plan which details their priorities for ordinances which would address the needs of their municipality according to SGLG, Excell and other awards, as well as of the Sustainable Development Goals indicators.

DILG Antique Provincial Director Cherryl Tacda lauded the effort of VMLP Antique to conduct capacity building programs for local legislators.

She said that the ALGPRC, together with VMLP Antique, would take extra effort to sustain the momentum of strengthening the capacity of legislators in the province.