Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (Photo courtesy of House PPAB)
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is ready to hold the special session called by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday, Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said on Tuesday.
Adiong, an Assistant Majority Leader at the House, told reporters in an online interview that the special session will start at nine o’clock in the morning of Wednesday.
The lawmaker however clarified that no other topics will be discussed apart from the President’s reasons for calling a special session — which are key legislation up for third reading approval.
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“So the special session will be at nine o’clock. So the House, of course, the House of Representatives is ready to attend this special session,” Adiong said mostly in Filipino.
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“‘When there is a special session, the agenda is specific, so we cannot discuss other things other than what was requested by Malacañang. So the bills to be ratified have been specified, so outside of that, we cannot discuss any more. So it’s going to be a short session only,” he added.
On Monday, Marcos called on Congress to hold a special session on Wednesday to fast-track social protection measures amid energy challenges and calamities.
Among the bills targeted for consideration are:
National Center for Geriatric Health
Amendments to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act
Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Act
Amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act
Last Mile and Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged and Conflict-Affected Areas Schools Act
Amendments to the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act
Anti-Political Dynasty Law
Presidential Merit Scholarship Program
Other measures aimed towards strengthening social protection and uplifting the lives of the Filipino people
Moreover, Marcos said the special session will also allow the Commission on Appointments to act on pending appointments to key positions in the Cabinet, military, and foreign service to ensure continuity across government institutions.
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READ: Marcos calls for Congress special session
According to Adiong, of the several bills that were mentioned, the House would only have to ratify amendments to the bill institutionalizing AICS.
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“And all of the bills to be ratified that were mentioned, only the amendments to the AICS bill will have to be ratified by the House of Representatives, but the rest of those measures that are part of (those) to be ratified, we have finished it already and we’re just waiting for the Senate version,” he said.
He also said that it is highly likely that Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III will preside over the session, while Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos will be managing over the proceedings.
“So yes, we welcome and we’re ready to hold the session tomorrow,” he added. “Since it’s a special session, so we anticipate the Speaker will be presiding and the Majority leader will also be handling the floor.”
Aside from the measures, the special session is believed to be an opportunity for the Senate to address its leadership squabble.
In recent weeks, the Senate has been hit by division between two groups — that of acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian and former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, which stalled legislative work in Congress’ upper chamber.
The split between Gatchalian and Cayetano’s camps started after members of the then-Minority bloc under Gatchalian and former Senate President Vicente Sotto III walked out of the session due to the insistence of the Majority — led by Cayetano and Senator Rodante Marcoleta — to discuss a proposed amendment on Senate rules.
If approved, the amendment — made by Marcoleta through a motion — would have allowed online voting for senators who are not physically present during plenary deliberations. The Minority, before walking out, questioned the rush to amend the rules, and as to why the amendment was contained in a motion instead of a formal resolution.
As a retaliation, the Cayetano bloc did not attend session last June 1 and 2. On June 3, House lawmakers like Deputy Speaker Albee Benitez said that the Senate was on the verge of violating the 1987 Constitution, as there is a provision stating that the Senate cannot adjourn its session for more than three days without informing the House.
READ: Senate would have violated charter if no session held for third day — solons
This scenario was avoided after Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who is part of Cayetano’s bloc, showed up, giving the Senate a quorum to hold session. Positions were also declared vacant, paving the way for Gatchalian’s election as Senate President Pro Tempore and Senator Juan Miguel Zub…
Read the full article at Philippine Daily Inquirer →
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