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The Manila City Council ( Filipino: Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Maynila) or the city's legislature is composed of 38 councilors, with 36 councilors elected from
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
's six councilor districts (coextensive with the Legislative districts of Manila) and two councilors elected from the ranks of
barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolit ...
(neighborhood) chairmen and the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK; youth councils). The presiding officer of the council is the Vice Mayor, who is elected citywide. The council is responsible for creating laws and ordinances under Manila's jurisdiction. The mayor can veto proposed bills, but the council can override it with a two-thirds supermajority.


History

After the Spanish incorporated Manila as a city in 1571, membership to the council was originally restricted to them. On June 24, 1571 (which would later be declared as
Manila Day Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
), the municipal government, or the '' Cabildo'' was established, consisting of two mayors, twelve councilors and a secretary. The mayor was chosen by lottery, with councilors nominating four candidates, with two candidates being drawn to serve as mayors. In 1689, the council ordered the expulsion on non-Christian Chinese in the city, leading to a decline in Chinese population by 1700. This would be the setup until 1901, after the Americans took control of the islands. In that year, the new American insular government instituted a municipal board consisting of a Filipino mayor, a Filipino member, and three American members all nominated by the Americans. An advisory board was included, with all eleven members being Filipinos, representing each of Manila's 11 wards. In 1916, the advisory board was abolished, and the municipal board was increased to ten members, all of them elected by Filipinos, although the mayor was still appointed. In 1949, the Revised City Charter modified the board's composition: now, the five members of the
House of Representatives of the Philippines The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house of Congress, the ...
from the city are its members, with the vice mayor becoming its presiding officer. After the declaration of martial law in 1972, President
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martia ...
abolished the board in 1975. After the
People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...
, the municipal board was revived, which gradually evolved into the present-day city council. The 1987 constitution finalized today's setup when it divided the city into six districts, with each district electing six councilors, plus two more councilors from the barangay captains and SK president. Elections to the new city council was in 1988. After actress
Claire Danes Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. She is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2012, ''Time'' named her one of the 100 most influential ...
stated in an interview with ''
Premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...
'' that Manila "smelled of cockroaches, with rats all over and that there is no sewerage system and the people do not have anything, no arms, no legs, no eyes," Councilor Kim Atienza sponsored a resolution banning all of Danes' films in the city. While Atienza said that Danes' earlier interview with '' Vogue'' where she said that "ghastly and weird city" were forgivable, her statements in ''Premiere'' were "irresponsible sweeping statements." After the council approved the measure on a 23–3 vote in 1998. In 2006, the council banned the screening of the film ''
The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Langdon ...
'' in the city. In a unanimous resolution allowing Mayor Lito Atienza to prohibit screenings, the resolution cited the constitution's freedom of exercise of religion, and the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines which states that it is a crime to exhibit films which offend a religion. Councilor Benjamin Asilo also cited an earlier ordinance which "prohibits the showing of obscene and immoral movies, including those that are contrary to morals, good customs, religious beliefs, principles or doctrines." In July 2012, the city is on track on following neighboring cities in
Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
by passing an ordinance on second reading banning the use of plastics and polystyrene. The proposed ordinance aims to prevent perennial flooding in the city, and to reduce debris flowing to the Pasig River. In the ongoing controversy on the status of the Pandacan Oil Depot, the council in September 2012 overrode Mayor Alfredo Lim's veto. This meant the oil depots would have to be transferred by 2016.


Seat

The council sits at the
Manila City Hall The Manila City Hall ( fil, Bulwagan ng Lungsod ng Maynila) is the official seat of government of the City of Manila, located in the historic center of Ermita, Manila. It is where the Mayor of Manila holds office and the chambers of the Mani ...
. Starting in 2012, its session hall is powered via solar panels, which were made in
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...
. In its inauguration, Vice Mayor
Isko Moreno Francisco Moreno Domagoso (born October 24, 1974), popularly known by his stage name Isko Moreno or Isko Moreno Domagoso (), is a Filipino politician and actor who previously served as the 27th mayor of Manila from 2019 to 2022. Before heading ...
remarked that "The City of Manila will be the first to use this kind of technology here in the Philippines." The Spanish-era cabildo met at the Ayuntamiento de Manila, also known as the Casas Consistoriales, in
Intramuros Intramuros (Latin for "inside the walls") is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Present-day I ...
.


Membership

Each of Manila's six councilor districts elects six councilors to the council. In
plurality-at-large voting Plurality block voting, also known as plurality-at-large voting, block vote or block voting (BV) is a non-proportional voting system for electing representatives in multi-winner elections. Each voter may cast as many votes as the number of sea ...
, a voter may vote up to six candidates, with the candidates having the six highest number of votes being elected. In addition, the barangay chairmen and the SK chairmen throughout the city elect amongst themselves their representatives to the council. Hence, there are 38 councilors. City council elections are synchronized with other elections in the country. Elections are held every first Monday of May every third year since 1992 for 36 seats, while the ex officio seats are elected irregularly, but always proceeding a barangay election.


Current members

Presiding Officer: Vice Mayor John Marvin "Yul Servo" Nieto *Presiding Officer Pro-Tempore: *Majority Leader: Ernesto Isip Jr. *Minority Leader: Salvador Philip Lacuna *Majority Whip: *Minority Whip: *1st Assistant Majority Leader: **2nd Assistant Majority Leader: *1st Assistant Minority Leader: **2nd Assistant Minority Leader: *Secretary to the City Council (City Government Department Head III): **Assistant Secretary to the City Council (City Government Assistant Department Head III) :


Prominent councilors

*
Rosauro Almario Rosauro C. Almario (30 August 1886 – 11 March 1933) was a prominent Filipino writer in the Tagalog language. He was a respected journalist, editor, nationalist, politician, newspaper manager, and a proponent of anti-graft practices. Almario's ...
, essayist * Amado V. Hernandez,
National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philipp ...
for Literature *
Cita Astals Cita or CITA may refer to: * Cita, Texas * Cita Morei, women's liberation and anti-nuclear weapons activist and writer * MV ''Cita'', a German merchant ship * ''La Cita'' (album), a 1994 album by Mexican pop singer Daniela Romo. Acronyms * Ca ...
, actress * Kim Atienza, television personality *
Isabelo de los Reyes Isabelo de los Reyes Sr. y Florentino, also known as Don Belong (July 7, 1864 – October 10, 1938), was a prominent Filipino politician, writer, journalist, and labor activist in the 19th and 20th centuries. He was the original founder of the ...
, founder of the
Philippine Independent Church , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...
* Ernesto Maceda, former Senate president *
Isko Moreno Francisco Moreno Domagoso (born October 24, 1974), popularly known by his stage name Isko Moreno or Isko Moreno Domagoso (), is a Filipino politician and actor who previously served as the 27th mayor of Manila from 2019 to 2022. Before heading ...
, former Manila Mayor, former Manila Vice Mayor, and actor * Mel Lopez, former Manila mayor *
Carmen Planas Carmen Lim Planas (March 23, 1914 – August 25, 1964) was the first woman to be elected to any public office in the Philippines when she was elected councilor of Manila by general suffrage in 1934. She would later serve as the capital city's ...
, first woman elected to any government post in the Philippines *
Larry Silva Hilarion "Larry" Cuenca Silva (October 21, 1937 – April 27, 2004), also known as Pipoy, was a Filipino comedian, film actor, television personality, boxer and politician. He started as an amateur boxer before being discovered in the show busi ...
, actor


Former Manila City Council Members


References

{{Legislatures of the Philippines City councils in the Philippines Local government in Manila Politics of Manila