Baguio City council allows online meetings

BAGUIO CITY – City councilors agreed to amend the local legislative body’s internal rules of procedure to allow teleconferencing among them in their future meetings to deliberate on important matters.

            The resolution authored by all members of the city legislative body sought to amend Resolution No. 177, series of 2019, which provides the codified and revised internal rules of procedures for the City Council as amended.

            The resolution noted there are declared state of emergencies or calamities that make it impossible for the city’s legislative body to convene and transact business but must act on legislations that need emergency or immediate actions in times of the foresaid situations, such as this ongoing implementation of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine where there has been a virtual stoppage of operations of both public and private sectors.

            Under the 11th edition of the Robert’s Rules of Order, meetings may be held by telephone conference if the by-laws authorizes the group to do so.

            Further, the Cambridge dictionary defined video conferencing as a system that allows two or more people to see and communicate with each other even if they are in various locations while Investopedia defined the same as technology that allows participants to a meeting to see each other face-to-face even if they are in different places.

            The resolution pointed out that modern technology allows various modes of meetings such as teleconferencing or videoconferencing through the use of mobile phones, tablets or laptops for the smooth conduct of transactions and the disposition of the appropriate businesses.

            According to the resolutions, all the members of the City Council were issued by the city government with laptop computers and mobile phones that could be equipped with proper software applications to allow online conferences and meetings for the speedy disposition of urgent matters during emergencies and calamities even if the legislators are located in different place.

            Based on the amended internal rules of procedures of the city’s legislative body, the Sangguniang Panlungsod shall conduct regular sessions or special sessions through video conference or teleconference to tackle matters in the exigency of service in times of emergency situations where the city legislative body cannot physically convene.

            Moreover, a city councilor who is on official travel during a regular or special session may participate in such similar meetings through teleconferencing or video conferencing.

            However, the same shall not apply when a city legislator is absent for medical reasons and that a notice of attendance by video conferencing or teleconferencing must be provided to the Secretary to the Sanggunian not less than 24 hours before the start of the meeting.

            At any meeting where a city legislator is attending by video conferencing, teleconferencing or other electronic means, there shall be a devise that allows the voice or video of a member to be heard by everyone, present in the meeting and allows the city councilor to identify himself or herself before speaking. -- Dexter A. See