House leadership won’t sanction Rodriguez for Tuesday’s outburst

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. Photo from congress.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines—Despite causing tension after he made a scene Tuesday at the plenary, Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez will not face sanctions.

House majority leader Neptali Gonzales II said on Wednesday that although the leadership was disappointed with Rodriguez’s actions, they will not lodge disciplinary actions against the lawmaker who questioned the House secretariat’s headcount during Tuesday’s session.

The incident could be a delaying tactic, meant to further slow down the developments on the Reproductive Health Bill, Gonzales said.

Rodriguez lashed out at the secretariat, just as Pangasinan Representative Kimi Cojuangco—a known pro-RH Bill lawmaker—asked that she be allowed to deliver a privilege speech.

Rodriguez said there was no quorum and demanded to know how they came up with an official count of 155 lawmakers when he only counted 111.

Session was adjourned despite the presence of a quorum after Rodriguez’s outburst.

An informal technical working group (TWG) has been formed to thresh out and resolve contentious issues on House Bill 4244. Gonzales warned that they would push for the RH Bill again once the group was done with the amendments.