House members to get text reminders on attendance

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Friday said he was confident members of the House of Representatives would finally be able to reach a quorum next week.

Belmonte said that the House leadership needs to remind fellow lawmakers to regularly attend sessions and ensure sessions at the lower chamber is not hampered by a lack of quorum.

He explained he would remind House members to attend Monday’s session via text message during the weekend. “Yes, we’re reminding them. We are confident of a quorum next week.”

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II recently attributed the absence of many members of the House of Representatives from sessions to the upcoming 2013 midterm polls. The lower chamber of the 15th Congress has not reached a quorum for six sessions now, barring it from acting on urgent and important bills, including the controversial Reproductive Health Bill.

Bagong Henerasyon Representative Bernadette Herrera-Dy has earlier expressed dismay over her colleagues’ failure to show up and maintain a needed quorum at the House of Representatives.

Dy, however, said pro-RH Bill legislators were still hopeful there would be developments for the bill next week once they reach a quorum.

She, along with Pangasinan Representative Kimi Cojuangco and Diwa Partylist Representative Emmeline Aglipay, has earlier called on fellow lawmakers to attend session and allow the reproductive health measure to be put to a vote.

Cojuangco said that they were ready to wage war against staunch critics of RH Bill who are bent on delaying its passage.