Belmonte fumes over erroneous House attendance record

MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. is fuming mad over the erroneous attendance report that the office of secretary general Marlyn Barua-Yap of the House of Representatives posted on the chamber’s website last Wednesday. 

In a text message, Belmonte hinted at sanctions on whoever was or were responsible for the error. 

“Someone has a lot of explaining to do (about the error). And it better be good,” he said. 

The erroneous attendance record had former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo present in 22 sessions despite her detention at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City on a plunder case pending before the Sandiganbayan. 

Another detainee, Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte, was recorded as having shown up in 27 sessions.  

Dimaporo is on hospital arrest at the Cardinal Santos Hospital in San Juan City. He is facing a malversation of public funds case, where the right to bail is not available. 

On the day the office of Barua-Yap came out with the report, reporters asked the House officer why Arroyo and Dimaporo were recorded as present in 22 and 27 sessions when they were both on hospital arrest. 

She said the chamber did not call the roll for 22 days and all House members were considered present on those days. 

Journalists pointed out that this should not have been the case, since under the rules of the chamber, whenever a roll call is not made on a certain session day, what is counted is the attendance in the previous day when the roster of members was called. 

Apparently realizing its error, Barua-Yap’s office has corrected its report. 

A new attendance report was on the House website yesterday, with Arroyo absent in all 69 sessions the chamber held during the first regular session of Congress.

A footnote states that she has been on hospital arrest since the start of the session on July 22, 2013. 

Dimaporo is shown to have attended only five session days instead of 27. According to a footnote in the report, he was ordered arrested by the Sandiganbayan on Aug. 5, 2013. 

No correction was made in the attendance of the top absentees: Negros Occidental Rep. Jules Ledesma, who attended only 32 session days and was absent in 37, and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, who showed up in 38 sessions and was missing in 31. 

Belmonte led 68 colleagues in posting perfect attendance.   The others were Reps. Rodolfo Albano III, Isagani Amatong, Rommel Amatong, Sergio Apostol, George Arnaiz, Diosdado Arroyo, Lito Atienza, Jorge Banal, Elpidio Barzaga, Leopoldo Bataoil, Silvestre Bello III, Jose Christopher Belmonte, Juan Pablo Bondoc, Winston Castelo, Lino Cayetano, Joaquin Chipeco, Enrique Cojuangco, Raul del Mar, Jonathan de la Cruz, Cheryl Montalla, Rodolfo Farias, Salvio Fortuno, Gwendolyn Garcia, Neptali Gonzales II, Agapito Guanlao, Magtanggol Gunigundo, Rosendo Labadlabad, Monique Lagdameo, Roy Loyola, Eleandro Madrona, Victoria Noel, Carlos Padilla, Marlyn Primicias Agabas, Romero Quimbo, Terry Ridon, Oscar Rodriguez, Rufus Rodriguez, Mel Senen Sarmiento, Estrelita Suansing, Gustavo Tambunting, Marcelino Teodoro, Tobias Tiangco, Alfredo Vargas, Linabelle Villarica and Jose Zubiri.