Senate work suspended on Nov. 16 due to Apec

The Senate has agreed to cancel its work on Monday, November 16, in anticipation of the heavy traffic as world leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings start arriving in Manila that day.

The heads of state are expected to arrive on Nov. 16 and 17 for the summit scheduled on the 18th and 19th.

READ: PAL, Air Asia cancel 300 flights for Apec
The chamber was scheduled on Monday to start its plenary debate on the proposed 2016 national budget, but Senator Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committee on finance, moved to postpone her sponsorship of the budget bill to November 23, 2016.

“There has been a request from both the majority and the minority because of the difficulty in transport and the traffic situation and considering the staff who may have difficulty accessing the Senate grounds that the sponsorship of the budget be moved on November 23,” Legarda said.

“So may I ask the decision of the Senate President whether we’ll have regular session or that does mean that there will be no session on Monday as well because if we’ll have session anyway, we might as well tackle the budget.”

“So does that mean that we’re declaring November 16 a non-session day and therefore , no office for the Senate?” she asked, though she stressed that she was also ready to sponsor the budget on Nov. 16.

Legarda said it was Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III who brought up the idea, but other senators also concurred with the suggestion to change the schedule.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, who was presiding over the session, said he was inclined to concur with Legarda’s motion to cancel the Nov. 16 session.

“And therefore at the appropriate time when we adjourn, the next session will be on Nov. 23 at 9a.m. Yes, at the appropriate time, we will announce such resumption of the session as indicated,” Drilon said.