Tension grips Lower House on last session day over quorum
February 3, 2010 11:30 pm
By Lilybeth G. Ison
MANILA, Feb. 3 — Tension gripped the House of Representatives on its last session day on Wednesday due to lack of quorum.
With only 91 members in the session hall who answered the roll call, the presiding officer, House Deputy Speaker and Ilocos Sur Rep. Eric Singson, ordered the adjournment of the session.
House rules dictate that in the absence of a quorum, the session must be adjourned immediately. And the required number to constitute a quorum is 135.
However, Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco questioned the announcement of the secretary general, saying that in his count, there were 138 congressmen present.
He appealed the impending adjournment, but Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia tried to rebut him.
To diffuse the brewing tension, Singson suspended the proceedings.
Cojuangco retreated to his seat, massaging his head.
His colleagues later said the Pangasinan solon suffered from hypertension.
Cojuangco, now on his last term, apparently did not want the session adjourned as his pet bill — the revival of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) — was on the agenda.
In a text message, Speaker Prospero Nograles said that roll call showed that, indeed, there was no quorum.
"That's not subject to a recount, not subject to an appeal, not subject to reconsideration," he noted.
Nograles said that only the House secretary-general and staff "can count actual physical warm bodies on the floor. Not counted are those in the lounge or wherever except on the floor."
"No business can be conducted when there is no quorum," he stressed.
Meanwhile, Iloilo Rep. Janet Garin said that what happened is just a "symptom of a bigger problem" in the House, which is the matter of quorum.
She said that lawmakers are absenting themselves from the plenary sessions to derail the passage of important legislation like the Reproductive Health Bill and the Freedom of Information bill.
Congress adjourns sine die to give way for the campaign period starting February 8. Lawmakers will return on May 31 but only to sit as the National Board of Canvassers for the presidential election.
Garin, however, said that lawmakers can still hold committee hearings during the break.
All pending bills that will not be acted upon now or upon resumption of session will have to be refiled in the 15th Congress, she said. (PNA)
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