The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) is the local legislative body of a city government in the Philippines. The name of the legislative body comes from the Filipino words "sanggunian" ("council") – ultimately from the root word "sangguni" ("to consult") – both of Tagalog origins, with the latter word also of Kapampangan and Old Tagalog origins, and "lungsod" ("city") of both Tagalog ("lungsod" = "city") – but ultimately Bisayan ("lungsod" = town or municipality) – origins; "city council" is therefore often used as an equivalent term in English or Philippine English. Members of the city council are referred to as "kagawad"; while in mostly but not only predominantly Bisayan-speaking cities, they are called "konsehal" (masc.) and "konsehala" (fem.), or "sehal". The Local Government Code of 1991 governs the composition, powers and functions of the Sangguniang Panlungsod. The members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, often referred to as councilors, are either elected or serve in an ex officio capacity. The city's vice mayor serves as the presiding officer. The Sangguniang Panlungsod is a form of the mayor–council government, via the "strong mayor" variant.

Powers, duties, and functions

The Sangguniang Panlungsod, as the legislative body of the city, is mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991 to:

Composition

Presiding officer

The city vice mayor serves as the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, although he/she has no voting privilege except in cases to break a deadlock. In the absence of the vice mayor, a temporary presiding officer is assigned by the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod from among themselves.

Regular members

The number of elected councilors a city's Sangguniang Panlungsod is entitled to is determined by statutes. In some cases, the number of regular SP members and/or the delineation of SP districts is provided in the city's own charter (e.g., Sorsogon City ) or in a separate Congressional Act (e.g., Bacoor ). In absence of such provisions, the Republic Acts numbered 6636 and 7166 provide that the default size of a city's SP is ten members, elected at large. The exceptions are: Of all the cities, Manila and Quezon City have the most elected councilors with 36 each, followed by Davao City with 24 and Caloocan with 18.

Other members

Similar to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in the provinces or Sangguniang Bayan in the municipalities, the Local Government Code of 1991 also allocates a Sangguniang Panlungsod seat each to the city chairpersons of the Liga ng mga Barangay (League of Barangays), Pederasyon ng mga Sangguniang Kabataan (Federation of Youth Councils), and other sectoral representatives as determined locally relevant, such as an IP Representative.