PAKDOL ORDINANCE: Majority allies trade barbs over Iloilo City pedestrian lane bill

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY – A proposed pedestrian ordinance exposed political friction inside the Iloilo City Council majority, with Councilor Rex Marcus Sarabia saying Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna appeared to have pushed aside a colleague’s measure to clear the way for his own.

The exchange ran more than an hour on Wednesday, Aug. 19, over Cabaluna’s proposed “Pakdol” Ordinance, which seeks to establish citywide standards and protocols for pedestrian lanes and other pedestrian facilities.

The council approved the measure on first reading despite the dispute, with both Sarabia and the colleague at the center of it voting in support.

Sarabia, the majority floor leader, invoked a basic principle of parliamentary procedure before Cabaluna’s proposal was put to a vote.

“The members of this parliamentary body must exercise fairness, equity, mutual respect; in other words, at all times we must exercise parliamentary courtesy,” Sarabia said, adding that he was not opposed to Cabaluna’s measure and would eventually second it.

Sarabia questioned why Cabaluna’s proposal was allowed to proceed to first reading after a similar measure by Councilor Jose Maria “Nene” Dela Llana had been recommended against passage at the committee level.

“I have the impression that you rejected Councilor Dela Llana’s proposal so that you can also propose your own ordinance. The impression I get is that you brought down your own colleague so that you could pass your own. As I understand it, you are even a candidate for vice mayor on our side. How do you treat this? This is not good leadership. It seems you are bringing down your own colleague,” he said.

Dela Llana’s measure, which passed first reading in April, sought to require motorists to yield the right of way to pedestrians at pedestrian crossings and to impose penalties for violations.

The measure contained a provision declaring it unlawful for any driver, through intent or negligence, to fail to yield the right of way to a pedestrian lawfully crossing at a pedestrian crossing.

Cabaluna, who chairs the Committee on Transportation, conducted a committee hearing on Dela Llana’s proposal and issued a committee report recommending that it not be adopted in its present form.

The report cited substantial redundancy, noting that the prohibited act covered by Dela Llana’s proposal was already addressed by existing local and national laws.

“The committee finds that the primary distinction of the proposed measure lies in the imposition of higher penalties rather than the introduction of a new regulatory provision. This means that we already have penalties, although Dela Llana is proposing higher penalties. If that is the intention, he should have just amended the existing ordinance,” he said.

Cabaluna pointed out that Dela Llana could propose the changes as an amendment to Regulation Ordinance 2008-393, the city’s traffic ordinance, which already carries a schedule of penalties for traffic violations.

Dela Llana said that after his ordinance was deemed redundant, he instead pursued a resolution in June calling for the repainting and restoration of pedestrian lanes.

Sarabia, however, argued that Cabaluna’s committee should have helped Dela Llana develop his proposal instead of recommending that it not be adopted.

He called the situation an “epitome of unparliamentary practice” and said advancing Cabaluna’s proposal while the committee report on Dela Llana’s measure remained in effect would be inconsistent with the council’s previous ruling.

Sarabia then moved to amend or rescind the Transportation Committee’s report on Dela Llana’s ordinance.

Cabaluna: ‘Pakdol’ addresses different issue

Cabaluna maintained that his proposed “Pakdol” Ordinance is substantially different from Dela Llana’s measure.

While Dela Llana’s proposal focuses on the obligation of motorists to yield to pedestrians and the corresponding penalties, Cabaluna said his ordinance seeks to establish standards for pedestrian infrastructure.

“My proposal is different. This is an ordinance establishing standards, not penalizing [motorists] not yielding to the pedestrian lane but establishing standards,” Cabaluna said.

The proposed ordinance covers the proper location, design, installation, maintenance, and visibility of pedestrian lanes, as well as safety features and penalties for violations of the prescribed standards.

Cabaluna said the standards would be based on Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) orders on pedestrian facilities.

The DPWH sets national design rules for pedestrian crossings, road markings, and other road-safety features through its highway safety design standards and its road signs and pavement markings manual, providing a technical framework that can inform local standards.

He noted that while the DPWH has standards concerning pedestrian lanes, these do not have a regulatory effect within the city unless adopted through a local ordinance.

“This is establishing standards for pedestrian lanes. So that they can be more visible, better lit, and properly located. This is totally different, although it still talks about pedestrian lanes,” he said.

The distinction matters because Iloilo City already regulates pedestrian conduct and driver behavior at crossings under Regulation Ordinance 2008-393, an area of overlap between the two proposals.

Sarabia later withdrew his motion to amend or rescind the Transportation Committee’s report on Dela Llana’s ordinance.

He said Dela Llana had also exercised parliamentary courtesy by respecting the committee’s recommendation, but maintained that the plenary should ultimately be allowed to decide the merits of Dela Llana’s proposal.

“In view of the committee report of Cabaluna, Dela Llana exercises parliamentary courtesy as well by respecting Cabaluna’s decision not to allow his ordinance. Now, if we allow this body to flip-flop, then so be it,” Sarabia said.

“I would like to withdraw my motion, and instead I would like to insist that Dela Llana must pass his ordinance on second reading, whatever revision it may take, in defiance of Cabaluna, and instead allow the plenary to decide the merits of the proposal of Dela Llana. I think that is a very fair alternative to this dispute,” he added.

Cabaluna, however, clarified that his committee report did not reject Dela Llana’s ordinance outright.

He reiterated that the committee recommended that Dela Llana’s proposal not be adopted “in its present form” because its primary distinction was the imposition of higher penalties rather than the introduction of new regulatory provisions.

Despite the exchange, the proposed “Pakdol” Ordinance drew the support of the City Council, including Sarabia and Dela Llana, and was approved on first reading.

Cabaluna’s proposed measure was prompted in part by concerns over pedestrian safety following a recent incident involving a motorist and pedestrians at a crosswalk.

He cited data from the Iloilo City Police Office Traffic Enforcement Unit showing 15 vehicle-pedestrian incidents in 2025 and 25 incidents from January to July this year.

The seven-month figure is already about 67% higher than the full-year total for 2025, with five months left in the year.

“We need to establish a clear, comprehensive and consistent framework for pedestrian safety in Iloilo City. We need to do more than simply remind our people to use the pedestrian lane. We need to make sure that our pedestrian lanes themselves are designed, located, maintained and protected properly,” Cabaluna said.

“We need standards. We need infrastructure. We need technology. We need education. And we need to build a culture of discipline and courtesy,” he added.

All three councilors belong to Team Uswag, the slate of Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu, which holds 11 of the 12 elected seats in the City Council.

The council’s minority consists of Vice Mayor Lady Julie Grace Baronda, who presides over sessions, and Councilor Sheen Marie Mabilog. Neither chairs a committee.

Baronda said on Aug. 20 that measures filed by the minority remain stalled at the committee level, with none of her proposed ordinances yet carrying a committee report.