17th Cebu City Council set to reshuffle key posts, committee chairs

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The 17th Cebu City Council will reorganize its leadership on Tuesday, July 7, which could reshape the chamber’s power structure as councilors elect new officers and reconstitute the chairmanships and memberships of all standing committees for Fiscal Year 2026-2027.

The reorganization, scheduled during Tuesday’s regular session, will determine who will head the council’s most influential committees, including Budget and Finance, Laws, Infrastructure, Environment, Health, Public Order and Safety, Education, and Trade and Commerce.

READ: Barug, Kusug clinch Cebu City Council majority in 17th SP

A test of the Barug-Kusug majority

The reorganization will also test whether the Barug-Kusug coalition can maintain the legislative dominance it secured during the council’s inaugural session last year.

Since July 2025, the coalition has controlled the majority bloc after electing Councilor Philip Zafra as President Pro Tempore and Councilor Dave Tumulak as Majority Floor Leader.

Councilor Joel Garganera serves as Assistant Majority Floor Leader, while Councilor Francis Esparis holds the post of Second Assistant Majority Floor Leader.

The Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), led by Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña, remains the recognized minority bloc, with Councilor Sisinio Andales serving as Minority Floor Leader and Councilor Alvin Arcilla as Assistant Minority Floor Leader.

As presiding officer, Osmeña continues to oversee council proceedings regardless of the chamber’s political composition.

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Committee assignments under review

Tuesday’s reorganization could retain or redistribute committee chairmanships that traditionally shape the council’s legislative agenda and oversight functions.

Under the current committee structure, Tumulak chairs the influential Committee on Budget and Finance, which reviews the city’s annual appropriations, supplemental budgets, and major financial measures.

Other strategic committee chairmanships currently include:

Francis Esparis — Social Services;

Harold Go — Trade and Urban Planning;

Mikel Rama — Laws and Housing;

Joel Garganera — Environment;

Pastor Alcover Jr. — Agriculture and Markets;

Edgardo Labella II — Infrastructure and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Meanwhile, several key committees remain under the members of the minority bloc.

Councilor Michelle Abella Cellona chairs the Committee on Health, Councilor Paul Labra heads Public Order and Safety, Vice Mayor Osmeña chairs Education, while Councilor Nice Archival leads the Committee on Tourism and Sister Cities.

Whether these assignments remain unchanged or undergo major adjustments will become clear after Tuesday’s elections.

Majority months in the making

The current council leadership emerged after weeks of political negotiations before the opening of the 17th Sangguniang Panlungsod in 2025.

Although the council entered the term evenly divided among BOPK, Barug, and Kusug, the Barug-Kusug alliance eventually secured enough support to control the chamber’s leadership and most committee chairmanships.

The coalition has since steered the council’s legislative agenda, while the BOPK bloc has continued to scrutinize major policy proposals from the minority.

Why the committees matter

Committee chairmanships carry significant influence because most proposed ordinances and resolutions undergo committee deliberations before reaching the plenary for approval.

Committee heads also conduct public hearings, summon resource persons, oversee investigations, and recommend whether measures should advance, undergo revisions, or face rejection.

As Cebu City prepares to enter another legislative year, Tuesday’s reorganization will determine which councilors will lead those discussions and shape the chamber’s priorities over the next 12 months.

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