By Joel M. Sy Egco

The 16,000-strong Philippine Councilors League and the Quezon City Council have joined forces to denounce Senator Jamby Madrigal for unparliamentary behavior during a recent hearing on a proposed SM Development Corp. project in Katipunan.

Majority Leader Ariel Inton said the city council would pass a resolution condemning Madrigal for insulting its members.

?Councilor [Victor] Jun Ferrer [Jr.], as president of the [league], will rally all councilors all over the country to condemn her actuations,? he said. ?If she could do it to us, she can do it to any other councilor or individual.?

Inton was referring to Friday?s hearing by the committee on city planning, building and zoning led by Councilor Ricardo Belmonte Jr. on the proposed 31-story Stanford Residences.

Madrigal scolded the authors of a proposed resolution exempting SM from height and traffic limitations to pave the way for the project.

Madrigal lambasted Councilors Jesus Suntay, Winston Castelo and Ferrer for sponsoring an ?unconstitutional? resolution.

She even took a personal swipe at Suntay, her nephew.

?I am ashamed that I am related to you,? Madrigal yelled at Suntay during the hearing, which was called to get all stakeholders? opinion on the proposed high-rise building near the La Vista Subdivision and Loyola Grand Villas.

Madrigal, who attended the hearing to oppose the project ?as a citizen and resident,? fumed and repeatedly cut off the councilors, prompting Belmonte to yell: ?Don?t talk when the chair is speaking!?

Belmonte adjourned the hearing abruptly after warning the gallery that they would be asked to leave if they applauded.

On hearing Belmonte?s remarks, Madrigal said over the microphone:

?You have to bodily take us out of here. Call the police.?

The SM lawyers and representatives said there was nothing wrong with the proposed resolution since the measure was still up for debate.

They said they would push for the project and would submit all the necessary documents to the council.

Inton assured La Vista residents and the groups opposed to the project that everything would pass through the long legislative process.

?We assure the residents and SM that nothing is irregular, and that we will decide the issue on hand based on the merits and nothing else,? the councilor added.

But he stressed that their action against Madrigal would be purely between the council and the senator.

?She threatened to initiate a Senate hearing and we will gladly participate,? Inton said.

?We will attend and show her that we are not like her. Let her do it because there, we will show her the courtesy a legislator deserves. She is not our enemy.?

The Stanford Residences, formerly Berkeley Residences, is only one of seven prime mixed-use high-rise projects under SM?s SM Residences project.