‘FAIR SHOT, PLEASE’: Minority measures stuck at committee level, Baronda says

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY — More than a year into her term, Iloilo City Vice Mayor Lady Julie Grace “Love-Love” Baronda said legislation pushed by the minority bloc continues to face hurdles in the 12th Sangguniang Panlungsod, with several measures still without committee reports despite passing first reading as early as last year.

Baronda, who forms the two-person minority bloc in the City Council with Councilor Sheen Marie Mabilog, said she has yet to see the majority fully support the minority’s proposed ordinances and resolutions.

“Personally, the challenge, of course, considering that I am part of the minority, [is that] I have yet to see that the legislative body supports the ordinances and resolutions of the minority block,” she said Wednesday, Aug. 19.

She appealed to the majority bloc to give minority-backed measures a chance to advance beyond the committee level, particularly those intended to benefit the public.

“I hope that in the days to come, the majority will give our proposed legislation a chance to move forward and not let them remain at the committee level,” she added.

Baronda said she has no personal issues with the city councilors but maintained that their common responsibility is to prioritize the public interest over personal or political considerations.

“We are elected to serve the public, not for personal gain or a political party,” she said.

She said all of her ordinances that have passed first reading currently have no committee reports.

Neither Baronda nor Mabilog chairs a committee in the current council.

Among the stalled measures is her proposed ordinance establishing a three-digit unified emergency hotline, which passed first reading in August 2025.

The proposed Iloilo City Volunteerism Program Ordinance and the Cash Rewards for Exemplary Ilonggo Graduates Ordinance passed first reading in December 2025.

In March 2026, several other measures she sponsored passed first reading, including proposals to institutionalize the official address of the City Council, establish an official legislative mace, standardize correspondence protocols, and institutionalize the council’s official logo.

Her proposed Water Break Periods Ordinance, covering public and private schools and government offices in Iloilo City, passed first reading in May 2026.

In June, a proposed ordinance prohibiting prank, hoax, and non-emergency calls to the city’s emergency hotlines also passed first reading.

Baronda said the absence of committee reports months after some measures cleared first reading could raise questions about whether political considerations are affecting their progress.

“If since last year no committee report has been rendered until now, well, we could say that [it gets politicized], but I am still hoping that it is not,” she said.

Baronda was elected vice mayor in May 2025, defeating incumbent Jeffrey Ganzon and becoming the first woman to hold the post in Iloilo City. She assumed office on June 30, 2025.

She raised a similar appeal in December 2025, when she said she hoped the council would unite in 2026 and that the majority would take up legislation authored by the minority.

Supportive of executive’s requests

Baronda said the City Council has remained supportive of the executive branch, particularly in acting on legislative requests needed to implement city government programs and projects.

She said one of the council’s biggest contributions to the city’s development is its prompt action on requests from the executive branch.

“The biggest contribution is that all requests from the executive branch, we give utmost priority and we do not let them go unattended,” she said.

She described this responsiveness as an accomplishment of the council, saying the executive branch has been able to secure legislative support whenever needed.

“I could also say that this is also our accomplishment — that the executive branch has not had difficulty whenever she needed the support of the City Council through legislation. We deliver it promptly and deliberately,” Baronda said.

Council records show the 12th Sangguniang Panlungsod has passed 956 resolutions and 371 ordinances.

“Based on the numbers, we can actually see that we are a working City Council. The ordinances and resolutions that we have passed are not limited to one committee. Almost all committees have passed a measure, either an ordinance or a resolution,” she said.

She said the figures show the council has been addressing concerns from various sectors and aspects of city governance.

“It speaks volumes about how well we do as a council — that we are addressing the concerns of the residents, not limited to just one aspect or industry,” Baronda emphasized.