Updated: May 7
Instead of granting formal status as ex-officio members in the barangay education committee, Councilor Edgar Cabanlas suggested allowing Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to participate rather as regular resource person.
This, after the 21st City Council moved for the passage of a resolution urging all barangays to include school PTA presidents as ex-officio members of the sangguniang barangay’s education committee.
Cabanlas explained that the term “ex-officio” is a legal designation, and such authority must be clearly grounded in law.
Appointing someone as an ex-officio member “would seem awkward” if the authority is not expressly provided by law, he added.
Such positions carry specific rights and conferring such status without a clear statutory basis could create legal repercussions, the majority floor leader further pointed out.
The 21st City Council unanimously approved the resolution, taking into consideration the suggestion. (FDC/SP)
Updated: May 7
Councilor Marlo Tabac said the inclusion of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) presidents in the education committee of every barangay plays a vital role in the formulation of its development plan.
This was his response after Councilor Roger Abaday raised legal issues on the proposed resolution seeking to include PTA presidents of elementary and secondary schools in the city as ex-officio members of the sangguniang barangay’s education committee.
According to Tabac, the resolution does not seek to make PTA presidents members of the barangay council, but rather recognize them as participants in the committee handling education-related concerns and programs.
He described PTA officers as among those most familiar with the day-to-day challenges confronting schools become conduits between the local government and schools to forge stronger coordination and better communication.
Councilor Edgar Cabanlas, meanwhile, explained that the designation of a PTA president as ‘ex-officio’ must have statutory basis, since they have specific rights protected by law.
He recommended rewording it to ‘regular resource person’ to eliminate ambiguity and prevent any legal repercussion.
The said measure was then unanimously approved by all members of the 21st City Council. (FDC/ SP)
Updated: May 7
The 21st City Council, during its regular session on Monday, presided over by Vice Mayor Bebot Rodriguez, adopted a resolution urging all Sangguniang Barangay in Cagayan de Oro City to include the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) presidents of elementary and secondary schools as resource persons of their respective committees on education.
This, after the Cagayan de Oro Federated Parents and Teachers Association forwarded a resolution to the committee on education of Councilor Moreno Daba, citing the critical role of active parental involvement in bridging gaps in coordination between the local government and the school.
Currently, the Barangay Education Committee, the body tasked with the planning, implementation, and monitoring of education programs at the barangay level, lacks a formal mechanism to ensure the direct participation of PTA leaders.
Institutionalizing the inclusion of PTA presidents is seen to immediately address school-specific concerns to the local officials.
This, in turn, promotes a more responsive intervention in key areas such as school infrastructure, learning resources, student safety, and overall welfare.
The resolution was sponsored by the committee on education, chaired by Councilor Jing Daba, and the committee on laws and rules, chaired by Councilor Edgar S. Cabanlas. (JAO/SP)