FIf- rFUHH COr'IGRt:SS 01 THE )

RE:PUBUC OF THE: PHIUPI

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11\lfS )
rhirrl Regular
SENAn::

P.S.R. No. !-1;t;
INTHODUCi::D BY Sf.NA'OR SERGIO OSMENA HI
RbOLUTIOi\j
AI\1Ef\IDII\JG 1\]0. 5 OnlE:RWISE KNOWN AS nil' RUU:=S OF
C;o\fERNl NG jNQUTRH':5 [I\] AID OF LfCJSU\TlO[\J
WHI::.iZEAS, /I.rticle \II, Section 21 of the 1987 Con':>titutioll provides
thai' t'he Senate or the House of Representatives or any of its respective
cOllll1liU:ees may conduct inquiries in Clid of legislation in 21ccorcliHlce with it's
duly publishecl I'l.lles of procedure;
WHEREAS, inherent to the ellforceillent of the right to 'conduct
inquiries in aiel of is the right of the Senate and its committees to
e)(ercise I:he power of contem[lt;
WHE:rzF:I\S, at pn"sent, the I'equlrecl vute necessalV 101 a
committee to punish any witness for contempt is "a vote of a majority of all
Its mernllers";
WHERE:AS, the arnencirnent is to allow tile senatol's (0
attenci to equally important matters requidng their immediate attention
wltllOul fnlslTatinQ I'he inher'ent ricjht of the committees (:0 exercise the
power of conl-empt;
NOW, THH<J:TOIU:, me If RfSm.VED, as it is Ilereby resolved by tile
Sellate of .the PhilippilleS, to amend SECTION 18 of Rlc:10LUTJON 5
otherwisf' known as the S[=I\IAlT RULFS OF PPOCI::IJURE GUVE'RNTN(;
INQUIr<.IES IN AID 01' U=CI::1IAI'lON to reclti as follows:

"Section Hl. Contempt, Ca) The Chairman with the concurrence
of at least one (1) memher of the Committee, may punish or cite
ill contempt any witness before the Committee who disobeys any
Ol'clel' of the Cornmittee or refuses to be sworn or to testify m to
answer a pmpel' question by the Committee or any of its
rnernbers, or testifying, testifies falsely or evasively, or who
ullCluly I'eruses to ilppear or llring before the Committee certain
docurnents and/or object evidence required by the Committee
the issuance of the appropr-iate sulJpoena
therefol', A majority of all the members of the Cornrnittee milY,
11Owevel', reverse or mociify lhe dforesaid orcier of UlI1ternpt
within seven (7) clays,
A contempt of !:tIP Committee shall be r1eernecl a contempt of the
Senate, Such witness may be ordereel by the Committee to be
detaineci in such place as it rnay ciesignate unclel- the custody of
the Sergeimt-at-Arms until he agrees to produce the required
documents, or to be sworn or to testify, or otherwise purge
himself of thilt contempt.
(iJ) A I'eport of the detention of any person for contempt shali be
submitted by the Sergeant-At-Anns to the Comrnittee Clnd the
Sen<1te,'1
f\clopted,
,j /lL {V'I i L
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SFRe;lO OSIVJcNA III
Seniltor
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