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Horror roll
By Elizabeth Angsioco | Posted on Nov. 17, 2012 at 12:01am | 768 views
Congress just wasted another week.Women’s lives were also wasted by virtue of legislators’ continued inaction in addressing their urgent reproductive health-related needs.
At the Senate, the past week was primarily used for the sin tax bill. While I agree that this is important, RH, alongside other bills, was also in last week’s agenda. Moreover, RH has been waiting for much longer time than any other bill in the Senate including sin tax.
Our honorable senators did not have time for RH. But, there was enough time for Senator Tito Sotto’s privilege speech against those who filed a complaint against him with the Ethics Committee. There was also time for Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile’s clarification of his position on the plagiarism complaint against Sotto.
When Senator Pia Cayetano stood up to request for RH to be discussed even just for 30 minutes, she was met with Enrile’s combative words. The Senate President insisted that he was not yet ready to propose amendments and that he did not know when he would be. JPE also told Senator Pia to file a complaint or move to replace him if she did not like how he was doing things, adding that he was ready to defend his position.
Senate had no time to discuss the bill BUT there was time for drama in relation with the bill.
Obviously, the anti-RH in the Senate do not want to finish processing the bill so it gets voted on. Obviously, they know that the bill will win if they take the vote.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives also did not move because of lack of quorum. The representatives of the people have not been going to work!
The HOR roster contains 287 names. Still in the list are Emilio Abaya who has been appointed as DOTC Secretary; Salvador Escudero who recently passed on; Homer Mercado who has resigned; and Ruben Ecleo, now a fugitive from justice. Technically therefore, there are only 283 Representatives and 143 attendees are needed for a quorum.
House sessions usually start at 4:00 P.M. The House called the roll on November 12 and 13 but there was no quorum on both days. There were only 113 present on the twelfth and 139 on the thirteenth.
Because quorum was absent, the HOR was unable to tackle any important business. Per official records, the session was adjourned at 5:39 P.M. on November 12 and at 5:22 P.M. the following day. On both days, hindi pa man nag-iinit ang upuan nila, uwian na.
This is most unfair to the Filipino people. They are elected to primarily deal with legislative work. Many millions of pesos are wasted every day for these public servants but they can’t even be present during session days.
Thus, from the HOR records, I present this Horror Roll no. 1, the list of absentee legislators on November 12 and 13 so people know if their Representatives are truly representing their interests:
Alcala, Irvin (Quezon); Amatong Rommel (Compostela Valley); Angping, Zenaida (Manila); Asilo, Benjamin (Manila); Avance-Fuentes, Daisy (South Cotabato);
Barganza, Elpidio (Cavite); Bautista, Franklin (Davao del Sur); Bernos, Maria Jocelyn (Abra); Biazon Rodolfo (Muntinlupa City); Biron, Ferjenel (Iloilo); Bondoc, Ana York (Pampanga); Bonoan-David, Ma. Theresa (Manila); Bravo Jr., Narciso (Masbate);
Cabilao-Yambao, Jonathan (Zamboanga Sibugay); Cagas, Marc Douglas (Davao del Sur); Cajayon Mary Mitzi (Caloocan City); Cerafica, Arnel (Taguig City); Cerilles, Aurora (Zamboanga del Sur); Collantes, Nelson (Batangas); Colmenares, Neri (Bayan Muna);
Daza, Raul (Northern Samar); De Jesus, Emerciana (Gabriela); Defensor, Arthur (Iloilo); Del Rosario, Antonio Rafael (Davao del Norte); Dimaporo, Imelda (Lanao del Norte); Dy, Napoleon (Isabela);
Fabian, Erico (Zamboanga City); Fernandez, Danilo (Laguna); Ferrer, Antonio (Cavite); Ferrer, Jeffrey (Negros Occidental);
Garbin, Alfredo (Ako Bicol); Garcia, Pablo John (Cebu); Garin, Janette (Iloilo); Gatchalian, Weslie; Go, Cristina (Isabela);
Haresco, Teodorico (Ang Kasangga)
Jalosjos, Seth (Zamboanga del Norte); Jalosjos, Cesar (Zamboanga del Norte);
Kho, Antonio (Masbate);
Lanete, Scott Davies (Masbate); Ledesma, Jules (Negros Occidental); Lopez, Carlo (Manila); Loyola, Roy (Cavite);
Maliksi, Erineo (Cavite); Maranan, Zeny; Marcos, Imelda (Ilocos Norte); Mellana, Evelyn (Agusan del Sur); Mendoza, Raymond Democrito (TUCP); Mercado, Roger (Southern Leyte);
Nava, Joaquin Calos (Guimaras);
Osmena, Tomas (Cebu City);
Pacquiao, Emmanuel (Saranggani); Ping-ay, Jose (COOP NATCO); Plaza, Maria Valentina (Agusan del Sur);
Rivera, Michael Angelo (1 CARE);
San Luis, Edgar (Laguna); Sema, Bai Sandra (Maguindanao); Syjuco, Augusto (Iloilo); Tinga, Sigfrido (Taguig City);
Velasco, Lord Allan (Marinduque); Villafuerte, Luis (Camarines Sur); Violago, Joseph Gilbert (Nueva Ecija); and
Zamora-Apsay, Ma. Carmen (Compostela Valley).
Sixty-three representatives were absent on both days. Surely, some of them had valid reasons for failing to report for work. However, it is very unlikely that all of them got sick, had emergencies, or things that were more important than their main job.
The list contains both pro and anti-RH House members. It is common knowledge that the question of quorum has always been used by the antis to block the bill. Thus, pro-RH should religiously attend sessions for the bill to progress. Per our records, quorum is ensured even if only the pro-RH are present. This is an opportunity they should not miss.
Horror roll no. 2 is on anti-RH lawmakers. I am putting this PARTIAL list out in response to the many requests for the names of those who block the bill’s passage.
In the Senate, the decidedly anti-RH outside of JPE and Sotto are: Koko Pimentel, Antonio Trillanes, Bong Revilla, and Jinggoy Estrada.
I did not include Senator Loren Legarda because of the good news that she will no longer propose the amendments I wrote about last week. Also, her office tweeted that Senator Legarda is in support of the bill.
I also did not include Senator Ralph Recto pending his amendments that will hopefully be proposed next week.
At the HOR, the following Representatives have repeatedly articulated their strong anti-RH positions:
Apostol, Sergio (Leyte); Bagatsing, Amado (Manila); Crisologo, Vincent (Quezon City); Daza, Raul (Northern Samar); De Venecia, Gina (Pangasinan); Del Mar, Rachel (Cebu City);
Garcia, Pablo (Cebu); Golez, Roilo (Paranaque); Golez Jr., Anthony (Bacolod City);
Magsaysay, Mitos (Zambales); Mandanas, Hermilando (Batangas); Mercado-Revilla, Lani (Cavite); Nograles, Karlo (Davao City); Pacquiao, Emmanuel (Saranggani);
Rodrigues, Rufus (Cagayan de Oro); Socrates, Victor Dennis (Palawan); Suarez, Danilo (Quezon); Torres-Gomez, Lucy (Leyte); and those belonging to Buhay Party List, Irwin Tieng and Mariano Michael Velarde, Jr.
These HORROR ROLLS are meant to inform in the hope that the people will speak up more.
bethangsioco@gmail.com and @bethangsioco on Twitter
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