House adjourns session in under 5 mins as lady legislators go on official travel
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2020 10:00:33 +0000
THE House of Representatives opened and closed the plenary session in less than 5 minutes on Tuesday due to a lack of quorum.
Right after the invocation, Deputy Majority Leader and Zamboanga Sibugay 1st District Rep. Wilter Palma moved to adjourn the session, as lady legislators were on an official travel and event outside the House premises.
House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, in a statement, confirmed that on “record,” the lady legislators were attending an event outside the House.
There are 86 lady legislators. A quorum should consist of 50 percent plus 1 or 152 members out of the 302 total of district and party-list representatives occupying a seat in the 18th Congress.
Deputy Speaker and Misamis Occidental 2nd District Rep. Henry Oaminal suspended the session until 3 p.m. on February 12.
On a Facebook live video posted on his page earlier in the day, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano addressed the lady legislators in their meeting. He said the session would be open and closed immediately, to let them finish discussions.
“So, mag-o-open-close lang tayo ng (we will just open-close the) session, without attendance today so that you can finish your discussions not because we need a free day but because whether you like it or not medyo male-dominated pa rin yung opinions session (the sessions are still a little bit male-dominated),” Cayetano told the lady legislators.
Buhay Party-List Rep. Lito Atienza was dismayed by the swift adjournment of the session as he prepared to ask the plenary why there was still no hearing set for the renewal of the franchise of television network ABS-CBN.
“Eleven resolutions [bills] have been filed, no action whatsoever, not even [a] schedule,” Atienza told reporters.
When asked, Atienza said he suspected that the issue on ABS-CBN was the reason why the session adjourned early.
“Ano pa ang suspetsa ko? Eh, kahapon nagka-gulo-gulo kami rito (What else could I suspect? We had trouble here yesterday),” Atienza said.
During the plenary session on Monday, Atienza delivered a privilege speech urging the House leadership and Committee on Legislative Franchises chairman, Rep. Franz Alvarez, to immediately hear the 11 pending bills for a renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise as part of the mandate of Congress and in defense of the rule of law. This was on the same day that the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) filed a quo warranto petition against ABS-CBN questioning the TV network’s franchise acquisition.
The session was adjourned right after his privilege speech on Monday.
“And I also appeal to the Speaker of the House, Speaker Cayetano, to cause the immediate taking up of the issue of the ABS[CBN] not tomorrow but today. The rule of law must be upheld at all times. That’s what we are here for and that’s our sworn duty, Mr. Speaker,” Atienza said in his privelege speech. DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ