Sotto, Zubiri, Lacson post perfect attendance during 17th Congress

Only three senators had a perfect attendance record during the 17th Congress.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Senator Panfilo Lacson attended all the 229 plenary sessions from 2016 to 2019, according to a Senate press release based on records from the Journal Service.

Senator Gregorio Honasan II missed only one session day due to an official mission while Senator Risa Hontiveros ranked 3rd as she was present 224 times.

Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Joel Villanueva and Nancy Binay were able to attend 223 sessions.

Former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III was among the senators with the best attendance numbers as he was marked present 222 times.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian was recorded present 216 times while Senator Cynthia Villar attended 215 session days.

Senators Richard Gordon was marked present 213 times and Grace Poe attended 211 plenary session days.

Senator Loren Legarda posted an attendance of 208 session days while Sen. Francis Escudero was able to attend 207 session days.

Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito attended 207 session days; Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, 205; and Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, 202.

Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao was marked present 197 times.

Senator Francis Pangilinan completed 196 session days while Senator Antonio Trillanes IV attended 181 session days.

Prior to her detention, Senator Leila de Lima managed to attend 59 plenary sessions.

Sotto was the only senator with perfect attendance during the 15th and 16th Congresses, which had a total of 428 session days. He responded to the roll call on a combined total of 657 session days, including the just-concluded 17th Congress.

He was also punctual and never called in sick. He had never been on an official mission, either local nor abroad. — DVM, GMA News