Absenteeism again plaguing House sessions

MANILA, Philippines – The perennial problem of lack of quorum is plaguing the House of Representatives anew.

Congressmen show up for the roll call but disappear after their names are called.

Such practice prompted pro-administration Rep. Pedro Romualdo of Camiguin last Tuesday to suggest that House leaders effectively detain members of the chamber to ensure quorum in their sessions.

He observed that during the first few months of the 14th Congress, which convened last July, congressmen came in big numbers at the start of their three-day-a-week sessions at 4 p.m.

“Now we have to wait for them until 5 p.m. before we can begin the roll call. After the roll call, many start to disappear and only a few remain in the session hall. We see the same faces here at about this time of the night,” he told his colleagues.

It was 7:30 in the evening and reporters counted fewer than 50 congressmen in the session hall.

“I don’t know how we can correct this. I appeal to leaders of the House to do something. Maybe we can close the doors after the roll call and lock them so that no one can get out,” Romualdo said.

He made the suggestion after opposition Rep. Roilo Golez of Parañaque observed that members of the majority were apparently not interested in the bill that seeks to grant workers higher tax exemptions, which was then being debated, despite the fact that it was an administration measure.

“We in the minority are in full force here, but the majority does not seem to share our enthusiasm for the approval of this bill,” he said.

Golez’s observation visibly embarrassed the majority and House leaders. Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar, who was presiding over the session, promptly ordered that debates on the higher tax exemptions bill be suspended and continued the following day, which was yesterday.

To add insult to injury, Rep. Salvador Escudero III of Sorsogon, said the House should amend the rule on the quorum requirement from 50 percent of its members plus one to 50 members plus one.

“That means that if we have 51 of the more than 230 members, we can tackle business. We will have a clear conscience that we have complied with the rules,” he said.

Despite noticing the increasingly thinning attendance, the opposition has not raised the question of quorum even once since the opening of the first regular session in July.

“They have been co-opted,” said one pro-administration congressman who wanted to question the quorum but could not because he is with the majority.

Absenteeism and the lack of attendance in sessions have been perennial problems in the House.

Former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. had to dangle “incentives” in the form of cash and additional pork barrel funds to ensure quorum whenever he wanted important measures rushed and approved.

Such incentives had been derisively called “appearance fees.”