Rolex’s Rules of (Dis-) Order

The Iloilo Sangguniang Panlalawigan is fast becoming a model of how a local legislative body can mangle the rules and become the laughingstock of the whole country.

With the way rules and procedures are being bent and twisted, the Sanggunian is operating like a bunch of clowns trying hard to appear serious as legislators.

Basic parliamentary rules and procedure that have survived centuries of practice, and permanently etched in the Robert’s Rules of Order, are simply being ignored or swept aside under the auspices of the presiding officer, Vice Governor Rolex T. Suplico.

For instance, it’s a fundamental rule that the presiding officer does not vote in case of a tie. If the presiding officer wants to participate in the deliberations of the Sanggunian, he will temporarily yield his post to a regular member of the board and step down to the floor. But after he has finished taking part in the debate, the presiding officer will have to resume his post.

Not so with Suplico.

Last April 22, the Sanggunian deliberated on the veto exercised by Governor Niel Tupas Sr. over Appropriations Ordinance No. 2008-01-b enacting the 20% IRA Development Fund and Resolution No. 2008-044 approving the modified, revised and overhauled Annual Investment Plan for the province.

Suplico vacated his post as presiding officer to deliver a sponsorship speech to override the veto.

And more.

In parliamentary practice, all motions are made by the floor leader, a position occupied by Board Member Oscar “Richard” Garin, Jr. But this role was wrested away from him by Suplico, who proceeded to present a motion to override the veto.

And there’s more.

When the voting was taken, Suplico stayed where he was — on the floor. And based on the official records of the proceedings, Suplico was among those who cast his vote in favor of the override.

This is reflected in the minutes of the session, whereby Board Member Jesus (JR) Salcedo was reported as the acting presiding officer, while Suplico’s name appeared as among the regular members present.

Any student of parliamentary procedure would easily spot this irregularity, but it seems the capacity to detect errors and wrong continue to elude the Suplico-bloc in the Sanggunian. Whatever Suplico says, his allies blindly give their stamp of approval, unmindful of the comedy the nature of their work has taken.

About a couple of months ago, the Sanggunian also committed a grave blunder in enacting an ordinance to manifest its override of the first veto on Appropriation Ordinance No. 2008-01-a. It’s elementary knowledge that expressions of sentiment take the form of resolutions, which should have been the proper form for such override.

Suplico insisted that there is no difference between an ordinance and a resolution.

With this new override, the Sanggunian swallowed its pride and correctly adopted a resolution as the proper form to express its 2/3 vote to cancel out the veto of the governor.

At least, the Sanggunian has realized that it made the mistake the first time, or that Suplico misled its members into believing that they were on the right track, and rectified its error. It is also an acknowledgment that in this debate over this issue, Suplico was wrong, and I was right.