Margot groomed as majority leader

The Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) bloc of the Cebu City Council wants Councilor Margot Osmena to be their majority floor leader and Councilor Nestor Archival as their speaker pro tempore.

Osmeña will replace outgoing Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. while Archival will replace Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa who was elected congressman for Cebu City’s south district.

“Nothing is cast in stone yet. What we just agreed during our meetings is to give courtesy to the incumbents,” Councilor Osmeña told Cebu Daily News.

BO-PK councilors already met twice since the May 13 election to discuss possible changes in the leadership of the City Council and its different committees.

On Monday, five BO-PK and three incoming Team Rama councilors – Dave Tumulak, Hanz Abella and Mary Ann delos Santos – also met with incoming Vice Mayor Edgar Labella to agree on the policy direction of the incoming council.

But Labella said nothing definite was agreed upon during the meeting held at the council’s caucus room.

Carillo proposed during their meeting to move the council’s weekly session to Wednesday afternoons. Labella for his part wanted the sessions held on Thursdays.

BO-PK councilors agreed during their caucus last Tuesday afternoon to just keep their sessions every Wednesday morning.

Osmeña, the council’s budget committee chairman, said BO-PK allies intend to meet again before their July 1 inaugural session to already finalize especially the assignment of committee chairmanships.

Being the majority group, Osmena said the BO-PK councilors, have the discretion to decide on the committee chairmanship among themselves. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac