Absenteeism expected to plague House when election season starts

The House of Representatives will likely have difficulty mustering a quorum when the election season starts later this year as lawmakers return to their districts to campaign, House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II has admitted.

 

With attendance expected to be a problem as the 16th Congress approaches the homestretch, Gonzales appealed to his colleagues to show up at the House of Representatives for the last remaining weeks of the second regular session to make sure vital bills are passed before the sine die adjournment on June 11.

 

“Ako, as majority floor leader, [hiling ko na] sana ay kasama ‘yung [attendance] sa pinaka-high priority nila (lawmakers) dahil at the end of the day, pag walang presence sa plenary ay we are always prone to attacks and questions [regarding] quorum,”  he said in an interview over radio dzBB Sunday.

 

Gonzales said he and other House leaders are set to meet on Monday to discuss how the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, one of the key legislative measures of the Aquino administration, can be passed before sessions adjourn next month.

 

“We (House leaders) realized na pag umabot [‘yung pagpasa ng proposed BBL] doon sa last session ng 16th Congress, talagang mahirap na dahil hindi lang controversial ‘yan para sa marami sa amin but it also becomes an election issue,” he said.

 

Few issues discussed

 

Gonzales admitted feeling frustrated over the House’s vulnerability to questions on quorum and lamented how the chamber’s productivity can be affected by the lack of lawmakers in the session hall. At least 146 of the 290 House members must be present to constitute a quorum.

 

“Ang problema kasi naman namin, pag nag-roll call na, after five or ten minutes nawawala rin ang mga tao. Minsan nga ako, very hesitant tumawag ng roll call dahil sabi ko, ‘ano ba naman ito, pag tumawag ka ng roll call, kaa-announce lang na may quorum, nawawala na pagkatapos,” he said.

 

“Kung minsan ang natatalakay namin ay ‘yung kung ano lang ang ina-allow ng mga kakaunti [na nasa plenary],” he added.

 

Gonzales said he expects attendance in the plenary to dwindle after the House passes the proposed 2016 national budget by September or October as lawmakers prepare to file their certificates of candidacy.

 

“Sad to say, ini-expect ko lang magkaroon ng quorum during the budget deliberations. After that,  wala na, uwian na dahil kampanya na eh. ‘Yan ang vicious cycle ng legislative failure of Congress dahil three years ang term namin. Two years ang trabaho and last year ang kampanya. You can’t blame ‘yung mga congressmen na napipilitang umuwi dahil binabakbakan na sila ng mga kaaway nila kapag nandito sila [sa Manila],” he said.

 

Though he is one of the House's senior leaders, Gonzales said he can only appeal to his colleagues to show up at the plenary since they are all equal as lawmakers.

 

“So ang hirap nong maghari-harian ka sa isang lugar na ‘yung boto ng isa at boto mo ay pareho. [I] can only appeal to the sense of duty and responsibility to each and every member of the House,” he said. — Xianne Arcangel/JDS, GMA News