House leadership to tackle problem of absentee congressmen tomorrow

Leaders of the House of Representatives are scheduled to meet to address the perennial problem of absentee congressmen tomorrow and impose sanctions if necessary, House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles said yesterday.

He said they will hold an "all-party caucus to think of effective ways to punish" truant lawmakers whose absences have derailed the passage of important bills that have remained pending in the chamber.

Nograles, who heads the powerful House committee on rules, said the caucus will be held tomorrow afternoon when Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., along with other congressmen, return from their five-day official visit to Tokyo, Japan.

Nograles said the House leadership is "indeed facing a serious problem on… mustering a quorum" in the lower chamber.

"Many members who religiously attend sessions want sanctions against the absentees. Sanctions will be proposed, discussed and voted upon as soon as we agree on how to address the chronic problem on quorum," Nograles said.

He added that they will also discuss the issue of proposed Charter change for them to come up with a "strategy to convince the Senate about the benefits of Cha-cha, among others, if it pushes through."

Pro-administration Rep. Antonio Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur earlier urged De Venecia to intercede and help solve the problem of truant lawmakers whose habitual absences have jeopardized the passage of vital bills.

"The Speaker should compel lawmakers to attend to their legislative duties regularly. Since the Constitution talks of equality rule, then that should also apply to House members," Cerilles said.

He said De Venecia should "now make an appeal to House members who seem not interested in attending sessions regularly," as pointed out earlier by Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III.

Cerilles and House Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Gerry Salapuddin insisted it was time for House leaders to "crack the whip on truant congressmen who failed to perform their primary task of overseeing legislation."

They said imposing punitive and decisive action against the absentee House members will earn De Venecia "more respect among his colleagues and help the House regain the public’s trust and respect."

The House should also adopt the policies strictly observed in the provincial and municipal councils, wherein a councilor can be "replaced or removed upon incurring a number of absences in sessions."

"This should also be applied to members of Congress since nobody is above the law. There should be equality in the application of the law. Absentee House members should likewise be punished or disciplined for being remiss on their legislative duties," Cerilles said.

Salapuddin said the move to punish truant congressmen is not meant for media mileage but is aimed at "reforming" non-performing legislators whose primary task is to craft laws, not just to attend to the parochial concerns of their constituents.

"These chronic absences are further eroding our image. It is unfair that the entire House is being dragged down in the process," he said.

Salapuddin added that "it’s about time we do something concrete to discipline the members which will also help change our institution’s image. Absentee members are plaguing the chamber, affecting legislative work at the expense of our very mandate."