The Cebu City Council (
Filipino:
Sangguniang Panlungsod
The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) is the local legislature, legislative body of a Philippine city, city government in the Philippines. The name of the legislative body comes from the Filipino language, Filipino words "''sanggunian''" ("council") � ...
ng Cebu) is the legislature of
Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...
, Philippines. The legislative body is composed of 18 councilors, with 16 councilors elected from Cebu City's two
councilor districts and two elected from the ranks of
barangay
The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...
(neighborhood) chairmen and the
Sangguniang Kabataan
A Sangguniang Kabataan (abbreviated as SK; ) is a community council that represents the youth in a barangay in the Philippines. Established to provide young people with a platform for civic engagement and participation in Local government in ...
(youth councils).
[ ] The council's
presiding officer is the vice-mayor (elected by the city).
The council is responsible for creating laws and ordinances under the jurisdiction of Cebu City.
Although the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
can veto proposed bills, the council can override the veto with a two-thirds
supermajority
A supermajority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority rules in a democracy can help to prevent a majority from eroding fun ...
.
History
In 1937, four municipalities (including Cebu) were officially converted into cities. With the largest population and number of registered voters at the time, Cebu City was allocated eight members for its city council. On February 24, 1937, at the promulgation of the Cebu City charter, the eight inaugural members of the council were sworn in: Jose P. Nolasco, Dominador Abella, Diego Cañizares, Leandro Tojong, Manuel Roa, Felipe Pacaña, Regino Mercado and Jose Fortich.
On December 10, 1940, eight members were elected to the council: Leandro A. Tojong, Juan Zamora, Honorato S. Hermosisima,
Florencio Urot, Florentino D. Tecson, Ramon U. Abellanosa, Cecilio dela Victoria, and Numeriano Estenzo. Their election was confirmed in Executive Order No. 315, s. 1940, signed on December 28, 1940, by President
Manuel Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (, , , ; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier, and politician who was president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his d ...
.
The post-war city council was convened on July 1, 1945, and was composed of Honorato S. Hermosisima, Cecilio dela Victoria, Florencio S. Urot, Numeriano G. Estenzo, Eugenio G. Corro, Canuto O. Borromeo, Alfonso S. Frias and Miguel Sanson. On July 5, 1945, Cebu City Ordinance No. 1, "An Ordinance regulating the establishment and maintenance of
cockpits in the City of Cebu", was passed; the city's first ordinance, it was also the first cockpit ordinance in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
and was authored by Councilor Cecilio dela Victoria. Another ordinance was Cebu City Ordinance No. 4, "An Ordinance Appropriating Funds for the necessary expenses of the Government of the City of Cebu during the period from July first Nineteen Hundred Forty-Five to September Thirtieth Nineteen Hundred Forty-Five, and for other purposes". In this appropriation ordinance, the total
per diem
''Per diem'' (Latin for "per day" or "for each day") or daily allowance is a specific amount of money that an organization gives an individual, typically an employee, per day to cover living expenses when travelling on the employer's business.
A ...
s for the eight council members was .
Seat

The council sits at
Cebu City Hall, meeting in the Doña Eva Macaraeg-Macapagal Session Hall of the Cebu City Legislative Building (CCLB). The renovated CCLB was inaugurated on July 24, 2008, by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...
, assisted by Cebu City Mayor
Tomas Osmeña and Vice Mayor
Michael Rama. The building cost to renovate, of which came from the
Philippine Tourism Authority (now TIEZA).
The hall was named for
Eva Macaraeg-Macapagal, the mother of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the second wife of former president
Diosdado Macapagal
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. (; September 28, 1910 – April 21, 1997) was a Filipino lawyer, poet and politician who served as the 9th President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the 5th Vice President of the Philippines, V ...
.
During its September 3, 2019, session, the city council approved an ordinance institutionalizing the conduct of regular and special sessions outside of its current session hall. These sessions would also be aired live on the official Facebook page of the Cebu City's Public Information Office (PIO).
Membership
Each of Cebu City's two councilor districts elects eight members of the council. In
plurality-at-large voting
Plurality block voting is a type of block voting method for multi-winner elections. Each voter may cast as many votes as the number of seats to be filled. The candidates with the most votes are elected. The usual result when the candidates div ...
, a voter may vote for up to eight candidates and the candidates with the eight highest numbers of votes are elected.
Barangay and SK chairs throughout the city each elect a representative to the council, for a total of 18 councilors. City council elections are synchronized with other elections in the country, which have been held on the second Monday of May every third year since 1992.
Blocs
As of July 6, 2022, the council was divided into two blocs: the majority bloc and the minority bloc. The majority bloc is composed primarily of councilors who won under BARUG–
PDP
PDP may refer to:
Computing and technology
* Packet Data Protocol in wireless GPRS/HSDPA networks
* Parallel distributed processing in Connectionism#Parallel distributed processing, connectionism
* Plasma display panel
* Policy Decision Point in t ...
and the minority bloc is composed mainly of councilors who won under BOPK–
LDP.
Twelve of the council's 16 generally-elected seats were won by BARUG councilors in the
2022 elections while the remaining four seats were won by BOPK councilors.
2025-2028 membership
2022-2025 membership
; Notes
Definition of simple majority
In an omnibus resolution, Majority Floor Leader James Anthony Cuenco and the BARUG Team Rama council members moved to declare all positions in the Council vacant (including the presiding officer ''pro tempore'', majority floor leader, 1st assistant majority floor leader, 2nd assistant majority floor leader and the chairs and members of all standing and ad hoc committees) on June 20, 2017. This was in response to the change in affiliation of BARUG Team Rama councilors David Tumulak, Nendell Hanz Abella, and Jerry Guardo to BOPK, making it the council's majority bloc. For several weeks, no committee chairs were elected because of disagreements about what constituted a simple majority. The presiding officer, Vice Mayor
Edgardo Labella, met with Councilors
Margarita Osmeña and James Anthony Cuenco and they agreed to seek the opinion of the
Department of the Interior and Local Government
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public safety and strengthening local government capability aimed towards ...
(DILG).
July 24, 2017, DILG opinion stated that the City Council presiding officer should not be included in the count determining the council's majority bloc, citing the August 3, 2016
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
ruling in ''Tobias Javier vs. Rhodora Cadiao, et al.'': "The Vice Governor, as the Presiding Officer, shall be considered a part of the SP for purposes of ascertaining if a quorum exists. In determining the number which constitutes the majority vote, the Vice Governor is excluded. The Vice Governor's right to vote is merely contingent and arises only when there is a tie to break." The vice governor is the presiding officer of a provincial board, and the vice mayor is the presiding officer of a city (or municipal) council.
Officers
Powers, duties, and functions
The council, as the city's legislative body, is mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991 to enact ordinances; approve resolutions; appropriate funds for the welfare of the city and its inhabitants (pursuant to Section 16 of the Local Government Code), and ensure the proper exercise of the city's corporate powers (as provided under Section 22 of the Local Government Code). It has the following duties and functions:
*Approving ordinances and passing resolutions necessary for an efficient and effective city government;
*Generating and maximizing the use of resources and revenue for the city's development plans, program objectives and priorities as provided for under Section 18 of the Local Government Code, with particular attention to agricultural and industrial development and citywide growth and progress;
*Enacting ordinances granting franchises and authorizing the issuance of permits or licenses, subject to Book II of the Local Government Code;
*Regulating activities related to land use, buildings, and other structures in the city to promote the general welfare of its inhabitants;
*Approving ordinances which ensure the efficient delivery of basic services and facilities as provided under Section 17 of the Local Government Code; and
*Exercising other powers and performing other duties and functions as prescribed by law.
Committees
2022–present
There are currently 27 standing committees as of July 6, 2022:
2020–2022
New officers were elected on July 29, 2020.
Ad hoc
''Ad hoc'' is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning literally for this. In English language, English, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a Generalization, generalized solution ...
committees for the
Cebu City Medical Center and for the online session were also created.
2019–2020
There were 26 standing committees as of July 14, 2019:
Past councils
2019-2022
Majority of the councilors in the 15th council came from
BARUG.
*
Michael Rama (presiding officer; assumed by Donaldo Hontiveros on November 20, 2021)
*
Nestor Archival
* James Anthony Cuenco
* Alvin Dizon
* Eugenio Gabuya Jr.
*
Raymond Alvin Garcia
* Joel Garganera
* Jerry Guardo
*
Donaldo Hontiveros
* Lea Ouano-Japson
* Prisca Niña Mabatid
* Renato Osmeña Jr.
* Jocelyn Pesquera
* Eduardo Rama Jr.
* David Tumulak
*
Joy Augustus Young
* Phillip Zafra
* Franklyn Ong (LNB)
* Jessica Resch (SK)
2016-2019
Sixty-seven ordinances and over 4,600 resolutions were passed by the 14th council from 2016 to 2019. Eugenio Gabuya, Jr. had the largest number of approved ordinances of the 18 city legislators, and
Margarita Osmeña had the largest number of approved resolutions. Sisinio Andales had perfect attendance during the council's 116 regular sessions.
*
Edgardo Labella (presiding officer)
* Alvin Arcilla
* Mary Ann De Los Santos
* Sisinio Andales
*
Joy Augustus Young
* Jerry Guardo
*
Raymond Alvin Garcia
* Pastor Alcover Jr.
* Joel Garganera
* David Tumulak
*
Margarita Osmeña
* Eduardo Rama Jr.
* Jose Daluz III
* Nendell Hanz Abella (replaced by Renato Osmeña, Jr. after his appointment to the NLRC)
* Eugenio Gabuya Jr.
* James Anthony Cuenco (replaced by Erik Miguel Espina after his dismissal from service)
* Jocelyn Pesquera
* Phillip Zafra (LNB)
2013-2016
On May 17, 2016, the
Department of the Interior and Local Government
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public safety and strengthening local government capability aimed towards ...
(DILG) served a six-month preventive suspension order against Cebu City Mayor
Michael Rama, Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella and 12 councilors for "grave abuse of authority."
They allegedly received a ₱20,000 calamity fund, although they had not suffered in
Super Typhoon Yolanda and the
magnitude 7.2 earthquake which struck Cebu in 2013. Not included in the suspension order were Councilors
Margarita Osmeña, Lea Ouano-Japson, Richard Osmeña, James Anthony Cuenco and Philip Zafra. Osmeña temporarily served as acting mayor and Japson as acting vice-mayor until June 30, 2016.
*
Edgardo Labella (presiding officer; assumed by Lea Ouano-Japson on May 17, 2016)
*
Nestor Archival
* Mary Ann De Los Santos
* Alvin Arcilla
* Sisinio Andales
* Lea Ouano-Japson
* Alvin Dizon
* Ma. Nida Cabrera
* Noel Eleuterio Wenceslao
* Margarita Osmeña
* Gerardo Carillo
* Eugenio Gabuya Jr.
* David Tumulak
* Roberto Cabarrubias
* James Anthony Cuenco
* Nendell Hanz Abella
* Richard Osmeña
* Phillip Zafra (LNB)
* John Philip Po II (SK)
2010-2013
The 12th council conducted its first regular offsite sessions in Barangays Bonbon, Guba and Luz on October 12 and 26, 2011 and August 15, 2012, respectively. The council went paperless on July 20, 2011, with councilors using their laptops (their own or issued by the city) for the regular session; this maintained the city's environmentally-friendly stance and saved money.
Notable ordinances passed by the council included City Ordinances No. 2339, which prohibited discrimination in the city on the basis of disability, age, health status, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity or religion; No. 2343, which phased out single-use plastic products in the city and No. 2326, giving the elderly and people with disabilities free parking in malls, hospitals and other establishments.
*
Joy Augustus Young (presiding officer)
* Edgardo Labella
* Augustus Pe Jr.
* Alvin Arcilla
* Sisinio Andales
* Lea Ouano-Japson
* Alvin Dizon
* Noel Eleuterio Wenceslao
* Ma. Nida Cabrera
* Rodrigo Abellanosa
* Margarita Osmeña
* Eduardo Rama Jr.
* Jose Daluz III
* Raul Alcoseba
* Ronald Cuenco
* Richard Osmeña
* Roberto Cabarrubias
* Michael Ralota (LNB)
* John Philip Po II (SK)
2007-2010

The 11th council received two Local Legislative Awards in the Highly Urbanized or Independent Component Cities category for the substance of enacted legislation, efficiency of its records staff, completeness of the Agenda, Journals, and Minutes Division and the availability of facilities and amenities in the session hall.
*
Michael Rama (presiding officer)
*
Hilario Davide III
Hilario "Junjun" Perez Davide III (born August 25, 1964) is a Filipino politician and lawyer who is the incumbent vice governor of Cebu. He served as a governor of Cebu Province from 2013 to 2019. He is the son of former Chief Justice Hilario ...
*
Nestor Archival
*
Edgardo Labella
* Sylvan Jakosalem
* Christopher Alix
* Edwin Jagmoc
* Lea Ouano-Japson
* Augustus Pe Jr.
* Rodrigo Abellanosa
* Raul Alcoseba
* Gerardo Carillo
* Jose Daluz III
* Arsenio Pacaña
* Eduardo Rama Jr.
* Richard Osmeña
* Roberto Cabarrubias
* Eugenio Faelnar Jr. (LNB)
* Rengelle Pelayo (SK)
2004-2007
* Michael Rama (presiding officer)
* Hilario Davide III
* Nestor Archival
* Sylvan Jakosalem
* Edgardo Labella
* Christopher Alix
* Gabriel Leyson
* Edwin Jagmoc
* Augustus Pe Jr.
* Rodrigo Abellanosa
* Eduardo Rama Jr.
* Gerardo Carillo
* Arsenio Pacaña
* Jocelyn Pesquera
* Procopio Fernandez
* Raul Alcoseba
* Jose Daluz III
* Eugenio Faelnar Jr. (LNB)
* Glena Bontuyan (SK)
2001-2004
* Michael Rama (presiding officer)
* Nestor Archival
* Christopher Alix
* Carmelita Piramide
* Danilo Fernan
* Sylvan Jakosalem
* Dana Ruiz Sesante
* Vicente Kintanar Jr.
* Manuel Legaspi
* Jocelyn Pesquera
* Procopio Fernandez
* Eugenio Gabuya Jr.
* Gerardo Carillo
* Arsenio Pacaña
* George Rama
* Gabriel Leyson
* Jose Navarro (LNB until 2002)
* Eugenio Faelnar Jr. (LNB 2002–2004)
* Glena Bontuyan (SK)
1998-2001
City Ordinance No. 1726, establishing the Cebu City Commission for the Welfare and Protection of Children, was passed by this council.
* Renato Osmeña (presiding officer)
* Franklin Seno
* Michael Rama
* Rogelio Osmeña
* Ronald Cuenco
* Firmo Dayao
* Ernesto Elizondo
* Rodolfo Estella
* Procopio Fernandez
* Eugenio Gabuya Jr.
* Edgardo Labella
* Manuel Legaspi
* Laurito Malinao
* Ananias Ouano
* Jocelyn Pesquera
* Felixberto Rosito
* Fe Mantua-Ruiz
* Jose Navarro (LNB)
* Anthony Jones Luy (SK)
1995-1998
City Ordinance No. 1656, revising the city's comprehensive zoning regulations, was passed by this council.
* Renato Osmeña (presiding officer)
* Rodolfo Cabrera
* Jessie Aznar
* Ruben de la Cerna
* Eleno Abellana
* Christopher Alix
* Manuel Concepcion
* Ronald Cuenco
* Rico Rey Francis Holganza
* Gabriel Leyson
* Laurito Malinao
* Rogelio Osmeña
* Arnulfo Ravina
* Felixberto Rosito
* Fe Mantua-Ruiz
* Joy Augustus Young
* Michael Rama
* Ananias Ouano (LNB)
* Anthony Jones Luy (SK)
See also
*
Sangguniang Panlungsod
The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) is the local legislature, legislative body of a Philippine city, city government in the Philippines. The name of the legislative body comes from the Filipino language, Filipino words "''sanggunian''" ("council") � ...
*
Manila City Council
The Manila City Council (Spanish language, Spanish: Cabildo de Manila; Tagalog language, Tagalog: Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Maynila) is the legislature of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, capital city of the Philippines. It is composed of ...
*
Zamboanga City Council
References
External links
City Government of Cebu
{{Legislatures of the Philippines
City councils in the Philippines
Politics of Cebu City
Local government in Cebu City