A law making body responsible for the passage of ordinances and resolutions for the administration of the city pursuant to Section 16 of the Local Government Code of the Philippines which is to ensure the General Welfare of the Surigaonons.
Article Three-The Sangguniang Panlungsod
SEC. 457. Composition. - (a) The sangguniang panlungsod, the legislative body of the city, shall be composed of the city vice-mayor as presiding officer, the regular sanggunian members, the president of the city chapter of the liga ng mga barangay, the president of the panlungsod na pederasyon ng mga sangguniang kabataan, and the sectoral representatives, as members.
(b) In addition thereto, there shall be three (3) sectoral representatives: one (1) from the women; and, as shall be determined by the sanggunian concerned within ninety (90) days prior to the holding of the local elections, one (1) from the agricultural or industrial workers; and one (1) from the other sectors, including the urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, or disabled persons.
(c) The regular members of the sangguniang panlungsod and the sectoral representatives shall be elected in the manner as may be provided for by law.
SEC. 458. - Powers, Duties, Functions and Compensation. - (a) The sangguniang panlungsod, as the legislative body of the city, shall enact ordinances, approve resolutions and appropriate funds for the general welfare of the city and its inhabitants pursuant to Section 16 of this Code and in the proper exercise of the corporate powers of the city as provided for under Section 22 of this Code, and shall:
(1) Approve ordinances and pass resolutions necessary for an efficient and effective city government, and in this connection, shall:
(i) Review all ordinances approved by the sangguniang barangay and executive orders issued by the punong barangay to determine whether these are within the scope of the prescribed powers of the sanggunian and of the punong barangay;
(ii) Maintain peace and order by enacting measures to prevent and suppress lawlessness, disorder, riot, violence, rebellion or sedition and impose penalties for the violation of said ordinances;
(iii) Approve ordinances imposing a fine not exceeding Five thousand pesos (P5,000.00) or an imprisonment for a period not exceeding one (1) year, or both in the discretion of the court, for the violation of a city ordinance;
(iv) Adopt measures to protect the inhabitants of the city from the harmful effects of man-made or natural disasters and calamities, and to provide relief services and assistance for victims during and in the aftermath of said disasters or calamities and their return to productive livelihood following said events;
(v) Enact ordinances intended to prevent, suppress and impose appropriate penalties for habitual drunkenness in public places, vagrancy, mendicancy, prostitution, establishment and maintenance of houses of ill repute, gambling and other prohibited games of chance, fraudulent devices and ways to obtain money or property, drug addiction, maintenance of drug dens, drug pushing, juvenile delinquency, the printing, distribution or exhibition of obscene or pornographic materials or publications, and such other activities inimical to the welfare and morals of the inhabitants of the city;
(vi) Protect the environment and impose appropriate penalties for acts which endanger the environment, such as dynamite fishing and other forms of destructive fishing, illegal logging and smuggling of logs, smuggling of natural resources products and of endangered species of flora and fauna, slash and burn farming, and such other activities which result in pollution, acceleration of eutrophication of rivers and lakes, or of ecological imbalance;
(vii) Subject to the provisions of this Code and pertinent laws, determine the powers and duties of officials and employees of the city;
(viii) Determine the positions and the salaries, wages, allowances and other emoluments and benefits of officials and employees paid wholly or mainly from city funds and provide for expenditures necessary for the proper conduct of programs, projects, services, and activities of the city government;
(ix) Authorize the payment of compensation to a qualified person not in the government service who fills up a temporary vacancy or grant honorarium to any qualified official or employee designated to fill a temporary vacancy in a concurrent capacity, at the rate authorized by law;
(x) Provide a mechanism and the appropriate funds therefor, to ensure the safety and protection of all city government property, public documents, or records such as those relating to property inventory, land ownership, records of births, marriages, deaths, assessments, taxation, accounts, business permits, and such other records and documents of public interest in the offices and departments of the city government;
(xi) When the finances of the city government allow, provide for additional allowances and other benefits to judges, prosecutors, public elementary and high school teachers, and other national government officials stationed in or assigned to the city;
(xii) Provide legal assistance to barangay officials who, in the performance of their official duties or on the occasion thereof, have to initiate judicial proceedings or defend themselves against legal action;
(xiii) Provide for group insurance or additional insurance coverage for all barangay officials, including members of barangay tanod brigades and other service units, with public or private insurance companies, when the finances of the city government allow said coverage;
(2) Generate and maximize the use of resources and revenues for the development plans, program objectives and priorities of the city as provided for under Section 18 of this Code, with particular attention to agro-industrial development and city-wide growth and progress, and relative thereto, shall:
(i) Approve the annual and supplemental budgets of the city government and appropriate funds for specific programs, projects, services and activities of the city, or for other purposes not contrary to law, in order to promote the general welfare of the city and its inhabitants;
(ii) Subject to the provisions of Book II of this Code and applicable laws and upon the majority vote of all the members of the sangguniang panlungsod, enact ordinances levying taxes, fees and charges, prescribing the rates thereof for general and specific purposes, and granting tax exemptions, incentives or reliefs;
(iii) Subject to the provisions of Book II of this Code and upon the majority vote of all the members of the sangguniang panlungsod, authorize the city mayor to negotiate and contract loans and other forms of indebtedness;
(iv) Subject to the provisions of Book II of this Code and applicable laws and upon the majority vote of all the members of the sangguniang panlungsod, enact ordinances authorizing the floating of bonds or other instruments of indebtedness, for the purpose of raising funds to finance development projects;
(v) Appropriate funds for the construction and maintenance or the rental of buildings for the use of the city; and, upon the majority vote of all the members of the sangguniang panlungsod, authorize the city mayor to lease to private parties such public buildings held in a proprietary capacity, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations;
(vi) Prescribe reasonable limits and restraints on the use of property within the jurisdiction of the city;
(vii) Adopt a comprehensive land use plan for the city: Provided, That in the case of component cities, the formulation, adoption or modification of said plan shall be in coordination with the approved provincial comprehensive land use plan;
(viii) Reclassify land within the jurisdiction of the city, subject to the pertinent provisions of this Code;
(ix) Enact integrated zoning ordinances in consonance with the approved comprehensive land use plan, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations; establish fire limits or zones, particularly in populous centers; and regulate the construction, repair or modification of buildings within said fire limits or zones in accordance with the provisions of the Fire Code;
(x) Subject to national law, process and approve subdivision plans for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes and other development purposes, and to collect processing fees and other charges, the proceeds of which shall accrue entirely to the city: Provided, however, That where approval of a national agency or office is required, said approval shall not be withheld for more than thirty (30) days from receipt of the application. Failure to act on the application within the period stated above shall be deemed as approval thereof;
(xi) Subject to the provisions of Book II of this Code, grant the exclusive privilege of constructing fish corrals or fish pens, or the taking or catching of bangus fry, prawn fry or kawag-kawag, or fry of any species or fish within the city waters;
(xii) With the concurrence of at least two-thirds (2/3) of all the members of the sangguniang panlungsod, grant tax exemptions, incentives or reliefs to entities engaged in community growth-inducing industries, subject to the provisions of Chapter 5, Title I, Book II of this Code;
(xiii) Grant loans or provide grants to other local government units or to national, provincial, and city charitable, benevolent or educational institutions: Provided, That, said institutions are operated and maintained within the city;
(xiv)Regulate the numbering of residential, commercial and other buildings; and,
(xv) Regulate the inspection, weighing and measuring of articles of commerce.
(3) Subject to the provisions of Book II of this Code, enact ordinances granting franchises and authorizing the issuance of permits or licenses, upon such conditions and for such purposes intended to promote the general welfare of the inhabitants of the city and pursuant to this legislative authority shall:
(i) Fix and impose reasonable fees and charges for all services rendered by the city government to private persons or entities;
(ii) Regulate or fix license fees for any business or practice of profession within the city and the conditions under which the license for said business or practice of profession may be revoked and enact ordinances levying taxes thereon;
(iii) Provide for and set the terms and conditions under which public utilities owned by the city shall be operated by the city government, and prescribe the conditions under which the same may be leased to private persons or entities, preferably cooperatives;
(iv) Regulate the display of and fix the license fees for signs, signboards, or billboards at the place or places where the profession or business advertised thereby is, in whole or in part, conducted;
(v) Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, authorize and license the establishment, operation, and maintenance of cockpits, and regulate cockfighting and commercial breeding of gamecocks: Provided, That existing rights should not be prejudiced;
(vi) Subject to the guidelines prescribed by the Department of Transportation and Communications, regulate the operation of tricycles and grant franchises for the operation thereof within the territorial jurisdiction of the city;
(vii)Upon approval by a majority vote of all the members of the sangguniang panlungsod: grant a franchise to any person, partnership, corporation, or cooperative to do business within the city; establish, construct, operate and maintain ferries, wharves, markets or slaughterhouses; or undertake such other activities within the city as may be allowed by existing laws: Provided, That, cooperatives shall be given preference in the grant of such a franchise.
(4) Regulate activities relative to the use of land, buildings and structures within the city in order to promote the general welfare and for said purpose shall:
(i) Declare, prevent or abate any nuisance;
(ii) Require that buildings and the premises thereof and any land within the city be kept and maintained in a sanitary condition; impose penalties for any violation thereof; or, upon failure to comply with said requirement, have the work done at the expense of the owner, administrator or tenant concerned; or require the filling up of any land or premises to a grade necessary for proper sanitation;
(iii) Regulate the disposal of clinical and other wastes from hospitals, clinics and other similar establishments;
(iv) Regulate the establishment, operation and cafes, restaurants, beerhouses, hotels, motels, inns, pension houses, lodging houses, and other similar establishments, including tourist guides and transports;
(v) Regulate the sale, giving away or dispensing of any intoxicating malt, vino, mixed or fermented liquors at any retail outlet;
(vi) Regulate the establishment and provide for the inspection of steam boilers or any heating device in buildings and the storage of inflammable and highly combustible materials within the city;
(vii) Regulate the establishment, operation, and maintenance of any entertainment or amusement facilities, including theatrical performances, circuses, billiard pools, public dancing schools, public dance halls, sauna baths, massage parlors, and other places for entertainment or amusement; regulate such other events or activities for amusement or entertainment, particularly those which tend to disturb the community or annoy the inhabitants, or require the suspension or suppression of the same; or, prohibit certain forms of amusement or entertainment in order to protect the social and moral welfare of the community;
(viii)Provide for the impounding of stray animals; regulate the keeping of animals in homes or as part of a business, and the slaughter, sale or disposition of the same; and adopt measures to prevent and penalize cruelty to animals; and,
(ix) Regulate the establishment, operation and maintenance of funeral parlors and the burial or cremation of the dead, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations.
(5) Approve ordinances which shall ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the basic services and facilities as provided for under Section 17 of this Code, and in addition to said services and facilities, shall:
(i) Provide for the establishment, maintenance, protection, and conservation of communal forests and water sheds, tree parks, greenbelts, mangroves, and other similar forest development projects;
(ii) Establish markets, slaughterhouses or animal corrals and authorize the operation thereof by the city government; and regulate the construction and operation of private markets, talipapas or other similar buildings and structures;
(iii)Authorize the establishment, maintenance and operation by the city government of ferries, wharves, and other structures intended to accelerate productivity related to marine and seashore or offshore activities; (iv) Regulate the preparation and sale of meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruits, fresh dairy products, and other foodstuffs for public consumption;
(v) Regulate the use of streets, avenues, alleys, sidewalks, bridges, parks and other public places and approve the construction, improvement, repair and maintenance of the same; establish bus and vehicle stops and terminals or regulate the use of the same by privately-owned vehicles which serve the public; regulate garages and the operation of conveyances for hire; designate stands to be occupied by public vehicles when not in use; regulate the putting up of signs, signposts, awnings and awning posts on the streets; and provide for the lighting, cleaning and sprinkling of streets and public places;
(vi) Regulate traffic on all streets and bridges; prohibit encroachments or obstacles thereon and, when necessary in the interest of public welfare, authorize the removal of encroachments and illegal constructions in public places;
(vii)Subject to existing laws, establish and provide for the maintenance, repair and operation of an efficient waterworks system to supply water for the inhabitants and to purify the source of the water supply; regulate the construction, maintenance, repair and use of hydrants, pumps, cisterns and reservoirs; protect the purity and quantity of the water supply of the city and, for this purpose, extend the coverage of appropriate ordinances over all territory within the drainage area of said water supply and within one hundred (100) meters of the reservoir, conduit, canal, aqueduct, pumping station, or watershed used in connection with the water service; and regulate the consumption, use or wastage of water and fix and collect charges therefor;
(viii) Regulate the drilling and excavation of the ground for the laying of water, gas, sewer, and other pipes and the construction, repair and maintenance of public drains, sewers, cesspools, tunnels and similar structures; regulate the placing of poles and the use of crosswalks, curbs, and gutters; adopt measures to ensure public safety against open canals, manholes, live wires and other similar hazards to life and property; and regulate the construction and use of private water closets, privies and other similar structures in buildings and homes;
(ix) Regulate the placing, stringing, attaching, installing, repair and construction of all gas mains, electric, telegraph and telephone wires, conduits, meters and other apparatus; and provide for the correction, condemnation or removal of the same when found to be dangerous, defective, or otherwise hazardous to the welfare of the inhabitants;
(x) Subject to the availability of funds and to existing laws, rules and regulations, establish and provide for the operation of vocational and technical schools and similar post-secondary institutions and, with the approval of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports and subject to existing law on tuition fees, fix and collect reasonable tuition fees and other school charges in educational institutions supported by the city government;
(xi) Establish a scholarship fund for the poor but deserving students in schools located within its jurisdiction or for students residing within the city;
(xii) Approve measures and adopt quarantine regulations to prevent the introduction and spread of diseases;
(xiii) Provide for an efficient and effective system of solid waste and garbage collection and disposal; prohibit littering and the placing or throwing of garbage, refuse and other filth and wastes;
(xiv) Provide for the care of disabled persons, paupers, the aged, the sick, persons of unsound mind, abandoned minors, juvenile delinquents, drug dependents, abused children and other needy and disadvantaged persons, particularly children and youth below eighteen (18) years of age; and, subject to availability of funds, establish and provide for the operation of centers and facilities for said needy and disadvantaged persons;
(xv) Establish and provide for the maintenance and improvement of jails and detention centers, institute a sound jail management, and appropriate funds for the subsistence of detainees and convicted prisoners in the city;
(xvi) Establish a City council whose purpose is the promotion of culture and the arts, coordinate with government agencies and non-governmental organizations and, subject to the availability of funds, appropriate funds for the support and development of the same; and
(xvii) Establish a City council for the elderly which shall formulate policies and adopt measures mutually beneficial to the elderly and to the community; provide incentives for non-governmental agencies and entities and, subject to the availability of funds, appropriate funds to support programs and projects for the benefit of the elderly; and
(6) Exercise such other powers and perform such other duties and functions as may be prescribed by law or ordinance. (b) The members of the sangguniang panlungsod of component cities shall receive a minimum monthly compensation corresponding to Salary Grade twenty-five (25) and members of the sangguniang panlungsod of highly- urbanized cities shall receive a minimum monthly compensation corresponding to Salary Grade twenty-seven (27), as prescribed under R.A. 6758 and the implementing guidelines issued pursuant thereto.