Seventeen councilors from Manila have filed a lawsuit with the Manila Regional Trial Court against the leadership of the Manila City Council, which is headed by Vice Mayor and Presiding Officer John Marvin "Yul" Servo-Nieto.
The case also names Majority Floor Leader Atty. Ernesto "Jong" Isip, Jr., Minority Floor Leader Salvador Philip H. Lacuna, and nineteen other councilors affiliated with the majority.
In their 83-page Petition for Prohibition and Injunction, the 17 councilors, led by Councilor Joel "JTV" Villanueva of the 4th District, challenged the legality of what they described as an "illegal secret session" conducted by the respondents on July 23, 2024.
The petitioners, who are aligned with former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, argued that the council was officially in recess following the declaration of a work suspension by Malacañang and city hall due to Typhoon Carina. They claimed that no notice was given to them about the session.
Councilor Villanueva alleged that the session's primary agenda was to remove the petitioning councilors from their committee assignments and to transfer ₱83 million in funds to the Office of the Mayor of Manila.
The petitioners are requesting the court to resolve the case as soon as possible and declare the "secret deal session" held by the respondents as illegal.
