Absenteeism afflicts congressmen anew

MANILA, Philippines - Call it election fever, vacation hangover or just plain laziness.

Absenteeism is again afflicting members of the House of Representatives, which has been mostly on vacation since the 14th Congress opened its last regular session on July 27, when President Arroyo delivered her final State of the Nation Address.

Over a three-week period since the death of former President Corazon Aquino on Aug. 1 and until last week, the House mustered a quorum only once – on Aug. 12.

Under its rules, the bigger chamber of Congress – and the Senate for that matter – cannot tackle official business without a quorum.

Sought to comment on the recurring absenteeism problem, maverick Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson, who makes it a point to be present in all sessions, blamed it on “lack of controversial issues like Cha-cha (Charter change).”

“If there is a controversial issue, there is pork and there is even dessert,” he said. He was obviously referring to pork barrel fund releases and other enticements.

On the week of President Aquino’s death, congressmen cancelled their sessions ostensibly to join the nation in grieving over her demise. Malacañang allowed people a day of mourning on Aug. 5, which it declared a holiday.

That week, President Arroyo, accompanied by her husband, several Cabinet members, a large congressional delegation, and other hangers-on were still in the United States.

Speaker Prospero Nograles led a 28-member House group that accompanied the President.

Mrs. Arroyo cut her US visit. She and her entourage arrived in the morning of Aug. 5 and proceeded to the Manila Cathedral to condole with the Aquino family.

The former president’s death overshadowed the President’s US trip, which later became controversial due to at least two expensive dinners Mrs. Arroyo and her companions enjoyed in Washington and New York City.

Malacañang pointed to Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez as the one who shelled out $20,000 for steaks, escargot, soft shell crab, and $510-a-bottle wine at New York’s Le Cirque, a French restaurant.

Another congressman-companion of Mrs. Arroyo, Danilo Suarez of Quezon, admitted to paying $15,000 for steaks and lobsters at DC’s Bobby Van’s steak house after the Washington Post and New York Post exposed the expensive dinners.

Suarez even boasted that he is fond of treating the President and her husband to costly lunches and dinners whenever they travel abroad.

He later admitted that his family corporation has a P1-billion pending loan application with Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank and Banco de Oro.

Up to now, Nograles’ colleagues are clueless on who paid for their US trip. Malacañang has said it spent only for the Speaker and Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Lito Lapid.

The House session is supposed to start at 4 p.m., Monday through Wednesday. In contrast, the Senate holds sessions up to Thursday.

At the stroke of 4, Nograles, or whomever he designates as presiding officer, dutifully bangs the gavel to signal the start of session. The presiding officer almost immediately declares a suspension to await the arrival of a sufficient number of members for the mandatory roll call.

The official business of the House is contained in a document called Order or Business (OB). On top of it is the roll call.

The waiting period usually lasts between one hour and two hours. Those already in the session hall pass time by hearing the privilege speeches of colleagues, chatting with each other, or pretending to do their job.

That’s exactly what happened in the two weeks following the week of Mrs. Aquino’s death, except on Aug. 12, when the House approved mostly local bills.

In the past, the House leadership has had to confront the problem of absenteeism. There had been threats of pay cuts and reduction of pork barrel funds.

There was even a shame campaign plan, which called for the publication of the names of absentee members in the newspapers.

All these didn’t work, because they were never carried out. – Jess Diaz