The Municipal Council of Bantayan has successfully overturned Mayor Orlando Layese's veto of a provision in the local budget that would have provided financial assistance to 25 barangays. This significant move demonstrates the council's commitment to decentralized governance and community empowerment.
Council Asserts Authority with Supermajority Vote
During their session on November 12, 2025, the Sangguniang Bayan passed Resolution 744, series of 2025, which effectively reinstated the vetoed provision from Appropriation Ordinance 3, Series of 2025. The override required and achieved a two-thirds majority vote, highlighting the council's strong position on the matter.
In a telephone interview, Bantayan Vice Mayor Art Despi explained the fundamental disagreement between the executive and legislative branches. "Mayor Layese preferred a centralized supplemental budget for 2025, but the council believes our approach better strengthens the community, particularly at the barangay level," Despi stated.
Barangay Empowerment Takes Center Stage
The conflict over budget allocation represents a broader philosophical difference in governance approach. Back in June 2025, the council had already demonstrated its commitment to decentralized power by approving an ordinance that enhanced barangay capabilities to implement programs and services.
This landmark legislation, known as the "Beautification Bantayan Ordinance" (officially titled Barangay Empowerment for Action and Unity Toward Inclusive, Functional, and Unified Local Governance), represents a significant shift toward grassroots governance. The ordinance also established a barangay program monitoring unit to ensure accountability and proper implementation of local initiatives.
Substantial Funding for Municipal Development
Concurrent with these empowerment measures, the council approved Resolution 248, which adopted Appropriation Ordinance 7 for Calendar Year 2025. This legislation implements Supplemental Budget No. 7 amounting to P46.5 million for various municipal programs and projects.
According to Vice Mayor Despi, this isn't the first time the council has pushed back against centralization efforts from the Mayor's Office. "The first instance involved the attempt to centralize the Beautiful Bantayan Ordinance within the Mayor's Office," Despi revealed, indicating an ongoing tension between centralized and decentralized approaches to local governance.
The council's consistent stance suggests a determined effort to maintain barangay-level decision-making power while ensuring that substantial resources reach the grassroots level where they can directly impact community development and service delivery.
