Lawmakers see rough sailing for Nueva Camarines bill

Majority Leader Neptali “Boyet” Gonzales Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives, having recognized all of its members and tackled pending bills, is now waiting for the Senate in order to act on measures Malacañang has urged them to take up, the most contentious being one which will create the province of Nueva Camarines.

House majority leader Neptali Gonzales II told reporters in a chance interview on Thursday that of the four bills Malacañang asked them to take up on their last session day, they were anticipating opponents of House Bill 4820 or An Act Creating the Province of Nueva Camarines to question the presence of a quorum.

“We are waiting for three more measures which Malacañang requested we take up, one is on the modernization of Pagasa, and another on delineation of forests,” he said.

But it was the bill creating a new province in the Bicol region which had them on edge, Gonzales said.

“Ang contentious ay yung Nueva Cam lang, pero hindi kami aabot nang sobrang gabi,” he assured reporters.

He said that the Nueva Camarines bill was pending for its third reading at the Senate and if the version passed within this session day is similar to the House version “then we don’t need to wait.”

“If they don’t pass it on third reading, it will die a natural death,” he said.

Camarines Sur Representative Salvio Fortuno, an opponent of the measure, could question the presence of a quorum, Gonzales said.

“We will drop it if they question the presence of a quorum,” he said.

The House has ratified the bicameral report on HB 6860 and SB 3400 or An Act Broadening the coverage of the Science and Technology Scholarship Program.

They have also approved on third and final reading the bill reorganizing the Philippine Statistical System.