By Lane Afable, News Editor
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) yesterday reminded all local government units (LGUs) that regular and special sanggunian sessions cannot be conducted outside their territorial jurisdiction, stressing that local legislation must remain accessible to the people it serves.
The DILG said sanggunian sessions are official legislative proceedings of the LGU and, as a general rule, must be held within the locality, as provided under the Local Government Code. Conducting sessions elsewhere undermines public access to deliberations and decisions that directly affect residents.
The agency added that sessions held beyond an LGU’s jurisdiction may be questioned before the proper courts and could expose responsible officials to appropriate administrative liability.
The DILG, however, recognized limited exceptions in extraordinary and compelling circumstances, including force majeure, natural or human-induced calamities, public emergencies, and serious threats to safety or security within the LGU.
In such cases, any temporary alternative venue must remain open and reasonably accessible to the public and all sanggunian members. Proceedings must also be properly recorded, documented, and reflected in the official minutes.
In a separate reminder, the DILG emphasized that the vice governor or vice mayor, as presiding officers of their respective sanggunian bodies, must be counted in determining quorum to avoid legal questions on the validity of deliberations and enacted measures.
At the barangay level, the punong barangay, as presiding officer of the Sangguniang Barangay, must likewise be included in determining quorum.
The Department said these rules uphold transparency, legal order, and the people’s right to witness how local decisions are made.
