HOUSE SPEAKER Feliciano “Sonny” R. Belmonte, Jr. has asked congressmen to attend the last few session days in a bid to pass the Freedom of Information (FoI) measure, while bill authors will attempt to sway the President this week into certifying the measure as urgent.
“We are now calling (lawmakers) to attend,” said the House leader in a text message last Saturday.
Lack of quorum has stalled the legislative mill, which Rep. Walden F. Bello of the Akbayan party-list blamed on campaign preparations.
“I think some of them feel they have to redouble their electoral efforts to neutralize Church-led efforts to unseat them for voting for the RH (Reproductive Health) bill. But that’s not an excuse for them to be absent,” he told BusinessWorld in a text message.
Only six session days are left for the bill to be passed on second and third reading by the House, and to convene a bicameral conference. The Senate passed on third and final reading its own version of the FoI bill last December.
FoI authors are determined to have the bill sponsored this week, after encountering delays in the plenary due to a Davao del Sur lawmaker’s parochial concern and the lack of quorum.
“[We will] try to sponsor it on the floor and hope there is a quorum,” said Deputy Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” R. Tañada III (4th district, Quezon), in a text message last Saturday.
“Well, although the window of opportunity will have narrowed drastically, we will not surrender,” said Mr. Bello. “But if congressmen heed the Speaker’s call to be present to assure a quorum, the chances of such obstructive tactics succeeding are diminished.”
They will ask the President to certify the bill as urgent when he returns from a trip to Davos, Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum.
The Palace said last year it would not interfere with the FoI bill proceedings.
“We’re desperately seeking audience with the President on Tuesday, when he comes back from Davos. Maybe we can still convince him,” Mr. Bello added. “My understanding is that if the bill is certified urgent by the President, it need not wait the three-day rule between approval at second and third reading. Of course, there will be attempts to kill the bill procedurally.”
An advocacy group also called on legislators to attend sessions to approve the measure. “Electoral concerns should never get in the way of their duty to pass relevant legislation like the FoI bill. When students skip classes, we miss out on the opportunity to learn. However, when legislators skip sessions, they shirk on their mandate to serve,” the Action for Economic Reforms said in a text last week.
Congress will take a break from Feb. 9-June 2 for the midterm elections in May.
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Source: Monica Joy O. Cantilero, BusinessWorld Online, 27 January 2013
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