House adopts shame campaign

Leaders of the House of Representatives junked yesterday a proposal to apply the "no work, no pay" policy to members of the chamber.

The proposal was meant to hold House members accountable for absenteeism, which is rampant in the larger chamber of Congress.

In a caucus, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and his colleagues agreed that instead of withholding pay and benefits for chronically absent members, their names should be published in national newspapers on a monthly basis starting next month.

It was the House consensus that the "no work, no pay policy" that is applied to both government and private sectors should not be imposed on them as they are not "rank and file" personnel.

Deputy Majority Leader Arthur Defensor clarified that only the names of members who are absent without explanation and without prior notice would be published in the newspapers.

He said those who are sick, away on official trips abroad or working in their districts would not be included in the "shame campaign."

Commenting on the consensus of the majority bloc, opposition Rep. Rolex Suplico of Iloilo said the decision does not solve the problem of absenteeism in the House.

"Walang mangyayari d’yan (Nothing will happen). With those parameters, no one will be considered absent because they will be on official missions in their districts," he said.

Another opposition member, Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras, quipped: "Naglolokohan lang kami (We are just fooling ourselves)."

He said it is ironic that one of those habitually absent "is a leader of this chamber who is frequently abroad."

"He should join the diplomatic service," he said, without naming names.

As of early last night, the House was still waiting for enough members so it could tackle its business for the day. It will hold sessions for two more days before adjourning for more than one month before the second regular session of Congress, which opens on July 25.