House to hold 2 extra sessions

MANILA, Philippines - Speaker Prospero Nograles announced yesterday that the House of Representatives will forgo the privilege hour Monday next week and hold sessions until Friday, instead of Wednesday, in an attempt to rush the approval of several important priority measures.

“We will cancel privilege hour Monday and we have sessions till Friday night, May 29 (straight Monday to Friday), to begin from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. onwards. This is to prevent the possibility of calling special sessions during the break sine die after June 5,” Nograles said.

He disclosed the list of measures that will form part of the legislative agenda that will be considered by the House from the time it resumed session last April 13 to June 5 when it adjourns the second regular session of the 14th Congress.

“We will continue to collate and prioritize the measures that would particularly have an impact on our commitment to help our people live through the crisis even as we brace for the coming national and local elections in 2010,” Majority Leader Arthur Defensor said.

The priority measures are the reproductive health bill, amending and extending the law on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, the right of reply bill and Nograles’ House Resolution 737 lifting restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution, among others.

The House approved late Wednesday on third and final reading House Joint Resolution 36, the measure that would upgrade, rationalize and standardize the compensation of the 1.1 million government workers by July.

The House also endorsed on third reading 57 local bills, eight local bills on second reading, adopted the Senate version of HB 3618 (PNP Education Requirement) measure and approved the Conference Committee report on SB 2396 and HB 4237 or the Magna Carta of Women.