Solon proposes not bill, but marriage at House hearing

Magdalo Rep. Ashley Acedillo Photo from Facebook account

MANILA, Philippines—Congressmen burning the midnight oil to pass next year’s national budget on second reading witnessed a rather unusual “proposal” from one of their own Friday night.

His colleagues and top government officials watching, Magdalo Rep. Ashley Acedillo made a “manifestation” to formally ask his girlfriend, then seated in the VIP section, to be his partner for life.

“Ms. Ma. Paz Ignacio Ocampo, will you please do me the honor, that please be my wife?” Acedillo, kneeling and a bouquet and engagement ring in hand, asked while a picture of the woman was flashed on the big screen.

Then came the awaited response, which Acedillo, a former coup plotter, promptly announced to the chamber: “Please put on record, yes daw!”

The marriage proposal interrupted an otherwise heated period of interpellation dominated by members of the militant Makabayan bloc.

Shortly before Acedillo, a neophyte congressman, took the floor, ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio had been arguing about the need to abolish, not just the Priority Development Assistance Fund of legislators, but President Benigno Aquino’s pork barrel as well.

While congressional pork stood at P25.2 billion, the President’s was estimated at P964 billion in the 2014 national budget per Tinio’s computation. With the appropriations committee chairman firm on keeping Mr. Aquino’s pork barrel, Tinio asked that deliberations on the budget of the Office of the President be deferred.

Enter Acedillo.

Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II asked his colleagues to “welcome the subject of your concern” to the floor. Holding red roses, some of them lined up the aisle to receive the bride-to-be.

Session was suspended and Acedillo got his wish, all according to plan.