Thursday, October 11, 2007 It's all business at council session hall By Grace L. Plata
VISIBLE changes can now been seen at the session hall of the City Council building; changes that tend to say, the council means business.
Noticeable during last Tuesday's session was a wide screen on the far left of the hall, clean carpets, and sergeant-at-arms keeping the session hall paths clear of bystanders.
According to council secretary Zuleika Lopez, the wide screen is there for the benefit of both the public and the council members.
"Di kasi alam ng tao anong dini-discuss sa floor kaya ang iba nag-iingay due to boredom. Sa mga councilors naman, some of them haven't read the agenda or do not have an idea of the matter being discussed. Kaya, when it comes to voting time, they will ask, 'What are we voting for?' So, mas maganda merong screen that will show the items being discussed as well as other supporting details," Lopez said.
She added that all clocks in the council building have already been synchronized based on the official time of the city's Human Resource Development Office (HRMO) so that no employee or councilor can say they do not have the correct time as reason for being late.
"Minsan kasi sabihin na advanced ang clock so we synchronized it para maiwasan ang excuses for tardiness," Lopez said.
The bulletin board near the stairs heading to the council building's 2nd floor, which used to be topsy-turvy, is now organized into sections with notices and updated schedules of committee hearings within the week.
Lopez said more changes will be instituted in the coming days as part of improving the efficiency and modernization of council operations.
