BAGUIO CITY — The Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of Bangued, the capital town of the province of Abra, has ordered the arrest of absentee councilors.
In the copy of the order dated 27 May, it was agreed that their postponed preliminary conference was reset to 3 June because six councilors were absent.
The other councilors through the order invoked Section 53 of the Local Government Code of 1991 where there is “no quorum, the presiding officer may declare a recess until such time is constituted....and may compel the immediate attendance of any member without justifiable cause by designating a member of the Sanggunian, to be assisted by a member of members of the police force assigned in the territorial jurisdiction of the LGU concerned, to arrest the absent member and present him at the session”.
The same statement is also further bolstered by Rule IX, Section 39 of the Internal Rules and Procedures.
“In the light of the foregoing cogent reasons, it was ordered to arrest any member of the Sangguniang Bayan should a quorum be not constituted because of the absence of member/s therefore without justifiable reasons,” as stated in the SB order.
It was stressed in the said order that the six councilors would be arrested for grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, gross neglect of duty, gross dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial in the interest of the service.
Four of the councilors named in the order were not present in the supposed council meeting on 3 June thereby there was no quorum.
The SB of Bangued thereby directed the implementation of the order that was delivered to the respondents by two SB members accompanied by the acting chief of police of Bangued, Abra. But the councilors being ordered arrested were said to be nowhere to be found.