Congress urged to extend session for approval of COVID-19 response bills

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. Image from his Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker is calling on the Senate and the House of Representatives to extend their session until June 11 to make way for the passage of bills in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Under House Concurrent Resolution No. 8, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez seeks to amend the legislative calendar so Congress could extend its sessions until next week instead of adjourning on June 5.

“Many other important measures are needed to help the country during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other measures that would be beneficial to the country,” Rodriguez said in the resolution.

Among these measures are the Accelerated Recovery and Intervention Stimulus for the Economy (ARISE) Act, the COVID-19-Related Anti-Discrimination Act; the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer (FIST) Act; the COVID-19 Unemployment Reduction Economic Stimulus (CURES) Act, and Better Normal for the Workplace, and the Communities and Public Spaces Act.

Rodriguez also has a pending measure in the House which seeks a three-month extension of the special powers granted to President Rodrigo Duterte to combat the pandemic.

Under Section 15 of Article VI of the Constitution, Congress “shall convene once every year on the fourth Monday of July for its regular session, unless a different date is fixed by law, and shall continue to be in session for such number of days as it may determine until 30 days before the opening of the next regular session, exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.”

The First Regular Session of the 18th Congress is scheduled to adjourn sine die on June 5.

Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda earlier asked President Rodrigo Duterte to call for a special session during the break for the passage of economic recovery measures as the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

Salceda, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, said that the special session is needed in the event that the House of Representatives and the Senate are unable to pass an economic recovery plan to supplement the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act.

GSG