Senators bitten by junket bug, too

The travel bug has apparently bitten second-term and neophyte senators, who cut short their session by more than a week and packed their bags for the snow-capped Swiss Alps.

For vacationing early in Geneva, Switzerland, senators came under fire from leaders of the House of Representatives yesterday.

Majority Leader Arthur Defensor said Senate President Manuel Villar wrote Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. last week proposing that the two chambers cut their session short by more than one week so senators could fly to Geneva.

“They wanted that we go on our first break last Wednesday. The calendar of sessions we agreed upon when we convened in July sets our first recess for next Saturday,” he said.

He said Villar cited the need for senators to attend the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) conference in Geneva as the reason for his proposal to cut short the ongoing session.

Defensor said he could not understand why senators wanted to start the first congressional break last Wednesday since the IPU conference is scheduled to open on Monday yet.

In fact, he said a small House delegation led by Rep. Satur Ocampo of the party-list group Bayan Muna left for Geneva only yesterday.

Immigration agents held Ocampo briefly at the airport before allowing him to board his plane.

“Maybe, they have side trips to make or have other engagements this week before proceeding to the IPU meeting,” Defensor said.

As of yesterday morning, Villar was still in Manila. He and other senators were scheduled to leave last night or this morning. Some senators had already flown to Geneva.

From Geneva, Villar is treating a large group of more than 20 members of his Nacionalista Party and their families to a 10-day cruise on the Nile in Egypt. Last year, they explored the Three Gorges Dam in China. The cruise is an annual treat for Villar’s NP loyalists.

Defensor’s deputy, Rep. Neptali Gonzales II of Mandaluyong City, said he received information that eight to 10 senators were leaving for Geneva.

He said the House did not agree to the Senate’s proposal for an early vacation because “we were discussing the proposed (P1.227-trillion) 2008 national budget and we wanted them to act on the bill postponing the barangay elections (set for Oct. 29).”

He said the Senate would be violating the Constitution had it declared an early adjournment without the consent of the House.

He added that under the Charter, neither chamber of Congress can go on a recess longer than three days without the consent of the other chamber.

Defensor said the bill postponing the barangay elections is now dead.

He said to avoid violating the Constitution, the senators suspended their session from last Wednesday up to Tuesday next week.

On Tuesday, he said one senator would ascend Villar’s podium at the Senate session hall to act as Senate president, while another will play the role of a majority leader so they can resume their session and immediately adjourn it.

“That’s what we call open-close ritual. Their suspension on Wednesday and adjournment next Tuesday will be within the three-day requirement under the Constitution. In effect, they avoided violating the Charter,” he said.