Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

A. Francisco Gold Condominium II Bldg, EDA
corner !apagmahal t., Diliman, "ue#on Cit$
LEGAL SERVICE
%pinion &o. '(, s. ')*)
)+ April ')*)
Ms. CECILIA A. TOMENIO
Secretary to the Sangguniang Bayan
angguniang Ba$an ecretariat
!unicipalit$ of an ,ose
Pro-ince of &orthern amar
Dear !s. .omenio/
Presented before this Department are the follo0ing queries raised in $our letter dated
*( !arch ')*), and the same is 1uoted in toto /
a. Whether or not a resolution enate! "# the $an%%unian%
&a#an entitled 2A Resolution Requesting the Commission on Audit
(COA), Central Office to Conduct a Special Audit on the Operations
of the Local Goernment !nit of San "ose, #orthern Samar for
Calendar $ear %&&'3 still nee!s the a''ro(al o) the Munii'al
Ma#or*4 and
b. 5Whether or not !eli"erations trans'ire! !urin% the session "ut
+ere or!ere!, -o(e! to "e !elete! or stri.en out )ro- the reor!
on that sa-e session "eause it +as asserte! that it is out o) or!er
"e still inlu!e! in the /ournals,-inutes )or onsi!eration6.
On 0uer# A1
.he core of $our first 1uer$ is 0hether a resolution dul$ enacted b$ the angguniang
Ba$an needs appro-al from the !unicipal !a$or.
In repl$, 0e refer to $ou DILG O'inion No. 234 $eries o) 25654 particularl$ the
discussion on Pages 7 and 8 thereof/
())) this *epartment consistently opines that not all
legislative measures passed +y the Sangguniang Bayan
should +e su+,ect to the APPROVAL or eto of the
-unicipal -ayor. /he scope of the approal or eto po0er
of the local chief e)ecutie is limited only to (1) ordinances,
and (%) resolutions approing local deelopment plans and
pu+lic inestment programs. Allo0 us to e)plain our legal
+asis thereto.
Section 23 of the Local Goernment Code of 1''1 is e)plicit that
eery ordinance shall +e su+,ect to the approal of the local chief
e)ecutie +ut it seems uncertain in the case of resolutions. #o mention
0as made 0ith respect to resolutions +ut the third sentence of the same
section authori4es the sanggunian concerned to oerride the eto of
the goernor or mayor (there+y ma5ing the ordinance or resolution
effectie6. Let it +e noted that 0here the eto po0er is e)ercisa+le, as
an alternatie, the approal of the measure is also required.
A later proision, that is, 7aragraph (+), Section 22 of the Code,
has made more specific in empo0ering the mayor to eto any
ordinance or resolution adopting a local deelopment plan and pu+lic
inestment program.
/hus, generally, only ordinances are subject to veto. /he Code,
ho0eer, under Section 22 (+), allo0s the local chief e)ecutie to eto
resolutions 0hen they deal 0ith local deelopment plans and pu+lic
inestment programs. /he reason is that resolutions of that 5ind
inole the inestment of pu+lic money and are in effect ordinances
(7imentel, Aquilino 8., /he Local Goernment Code of 1''1. /he 9ey
to #ational *eelopment, 1''%, p.1:2).
/hus, +y the language of Section 22 of the Code, it leaes us no
room to dou+t that the municipal mayor;s eto po0er e)tends only to
ordinances and insofar as resolutions are concerned, only those 0hich
deal 0ith local development plans and public investment programs
formulated +y the local deelopment councils.6 9emphasis and
underscoring supplied:
On 0uer# &1
;ocal legislati-e po0er shall be e<ercised b$ the sangguniang panlala0igan for the
pro-ince4 the sangguniang panlungsod for the cit$4 the sangguniang ba$an for the
municipalit$4 and the sangguniang baranga$ for the baranga$.
*
As the seat of legislati-e po0er 0ithin the municipalit$, the angguniang Ba$an is
sanctioned to adopt or update its o0n Internal Rules of Procedure
'
on the first regular
session follo0ing the election of its members and 0ithin ninet$ 9=): da$s thereafter
7
.

.his includes the rules of procedure to be adopted during the sessions of the anggunian
0hich must be recorded in a sanggunian >ournal pursuant to ection (' 9e:
8
of the ;ocal
Go-ernment Code.
Rules of parliamentar$ practice are merel$ procedural and not substanti-e. .he rules of
procedure adopted b$ deliberati-e bodies ha-e not the force of a public la0, but the$ are
merel$ in the nature of b$?la0s, prescribed for the orderl$ and con-enient conduct of
their o0n proceedings. .he rules adopted b$ deliberati-e bodies are sub>ect to re-ocation,
modification, or 0ai-er at the pleasure of the bod$ adopting them.
(
@hile there is no mention of an$ internal rules b$ the angguniang Ba$an of an ,ose
pro-iding for the deletion or remo-al of deliberations that are mo-ed and appro-ed b$
the said legislati-e bod$ to be stricAen off or deleted from the records, it is the opinion
*
ection 8B, Chapter III, ;ocal Go-ernment Code
'
ection (), Ibid.
7
ection () 9a:, Ibid.
8
Each sanggunian shall Aeep a >ournal and record of its proceedings 0hich ma$ be published upon
resolution of the sanggunian concerned
(
Alberto Romulo -s &icanor CDigue#, G.R. &o. +*=)B, )8 Februar$ *=BE
of this Department that the same is permissible as the same is not contrar$ to la0, morals,
good customs, public order and public polic$.
.hanA $ou -er$ much and 0e hope that the foregoing settles all $our concern.
Fer$ trul$ $ours,
B$ Authorit$ of the ecretar$/
ATT7. 8E$9$ &. DO09E IV
Director III, ;egal er-ice

;egalG((Gins