The Philippine Online Chronicles

Answering reports that the 2012 budget deliberations are being delayed because of the lack of quorum, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said they are still on schedule and the General Appropriations Bill will be passed on time.

“We are virtually done with what we are ought to be doing. Yung mga hindi na-tackle are simple things which would surely be tackled next week. We are very much on schedule," he told media.

On Friday, only 73 out of 286 congressmen were present for the plenary discussions. At least 144 solons are needed for a quorum.

The House of Representatives is traditionally open from Monday to Thursday only with sessions on Monday to Thursday at 4 p.m. to give leeway to district representatives to be with their constituents from the provinces. However, to keep up with the time-consuming budget deliberations, sessions now start at 10 a.m. from Monday to Friday.

The lack of quorum on Friday resulted in the budgets of the Department of Justice, Department of Energy and other executive offices not being discussed. GMA News Online reported that a new bulletin on Friday showed the said departments were re-scheduled. The news website also reported that the Tuesday session was stalled for 4 hours because of quorum woes.

Belmonte said his office will “continue to call on everybody” to attend session. “Pagdating ng next week, it will be crucial. I think they will be here," he said.

Problem of the majority?

Meanwhile, Deputy Minority Leader Danilo Suarez said the prematurely adjourned Friday session was a reflection of the majority members’ attitude towards legislative duties.

“Just because they can get what they want because of their superiority in numbers does not excuse them from attending the session,” he told Inquirer.

Zambales Rep. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay, also a minority bloc member, asserted that it is a majority problem.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino said Friday’s attendance was the “lowest for the 15^th Congress.”

Committee on Appropriations chair Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya defended his colleagues saying, “It is human nature that is behind the low turnout. It is not a threat at all. Even God had to rest on the Sabbath.” He added that attendance will most likely improve next week because items like the conditional cash transfer, the private public partnership and staffing budget requirements of Congress will be tackled.

Majority Leader Boyet Gonzales said the roll call that revealed the low attendance of 73 was called at the insistence of the minority. “There is a pressure na mag roll call because for the past 4 days naka-suspend lang kami," he said. He admitted that some congressmen were working in their home districts and that the majority had to negotiate with the minority to allow the approval of the budgets of minor agencies such as the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, the Credit Information Corporation, the Philippine Postal Corporation and the Philippine Center for Economic Development.

Belmonte said this week is just a warm-up for the members. Congress is scheduled to vote on the budget bill on 2^nd hearing Friday next week.

Abaya earlier said that Congress will pass House Bill no. 5023 or the General Appropriations Act of 2012 before President Benigno Aquino III’s scheduled approval on December 15. This is to prevent working on a reenacted budget next year.