Extended Congress session sought to pass pending COVID-19 response measures

Cagayan De Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez has filed a measure calling for the extension of the session of Congress until next week to allow for the passage of pending measures related to the COVID-19 response.

House Concurrent Resolution 8, which Rodriguez filed on Monday, seeks to amend the legislative calendar so that Congress could continue to hold meetings until June 11.

LOOK: CDO Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has filed House Concurrent Resolution 8 seeking to extend Congress session until June 11 to give more time for the approval of COVID-19 response bills.

???? Office of Rep. Rodriguez @gmanews pic.twitter.com/8dslJZncNi

— Erwin Colcol (@erwincolcol) June 2, 2020

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are scheduled to adjourn sine die on Friday this week, and would resume work upon the opening of the Second Regular Session on July 27, the day President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his State of the Nation Address.

Rodriguez, in his resolution, said there are “important measures the country needs during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic that have to be passed by Congress.”

These include the proposed Accelerated Recovery and Intervention Stimulus for the Economy Act, the COVID-19-Related Anti-Discrimination Act, the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer Act, the COVID-19 Unemployment Reduction Economic Stimulus Act, and the Better Normal for the Workplace, Communities and Public Spaces Act.

“There are other measures still pending, including various bills mandating the establishment of pop-up bicycle lanes for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Crushing Covid-19 Act and my proposal to extend the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act by three months,” Rodriguez said.

Under Section 15 of Article VI of the 1987 Constitution, Congress “shall convene once every year on the fourth Monday of July for its regular session…and shall continue to be in session for such number of days as it may determine until 30 days before the opening of the next regular session, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.”

Rodriguez said that extending the First Regular Session of Congress by five days is within the purview of this provision in the Constitution.

House Committee on Ways and Means chair Joey Salceda has also called for a continuous session until Congress has approved the needed economic measures.

He also asked President Rodrigo Duterte to call for a special session in order to allow the passage of critically-needed economic measures to boost the country's economy amid the COVID-19 crisis. --KBK, GMA News