WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 15; 201.
House leaders
,chalk up 8270
attenda n ce
By Maricel V. Cruz
HOUSE Maiority Leader and Leyte
Ren- Martin-Romualdez, together with
Soiaker Alan Peter Cayetano, posted
an 82-Dercent attendance record during
rhe firit t\tro months of the first regular
session oftho 18th Conglesg.
Cavetano afld Romualdez were both
oresent durins the fiIst two months of
ihe present Cdngress. or from July 22 to
SeDt. 23.
ir4eanwhile. a congressman from
Bicol said Tuesday the leadership of the
House of RepresentatiYes was confident
that an economic expansion of 6 percent
or above-as targeted bY President
Rodriso Duterte's economic team-was
oossible and could happen by further
increasing state spending in the last
ouarter.
' Denutv SDeaker for finance Luis
Ravmuni villafuerte made the
staiement in response to the World
Bank's Droiected 5.8-percent growth
in the eiosi domestic product of the
Phitippi-ne economy this year, which it
described as laudable.
SeDt. 23 was the last day when a
iourdal was posted in the House website
"anrt 234 House membe$ attended the
session.
The iournals of proceedings showed
an averaee of246 bfthe 300 lawmakers
attendini the session or 20 session days'
when Ca:yetano or the presiding officer
ordered a roll call.
It was oo lu,ly 22, ot during the
election ofthe Speaker, when the House
of Reoresentatives recorded uP 29?
lawmalkers attending the session' the
hiehest number ofmembers present
-Based
on the records, onlY three
House membets were absent on the
first dav of session on July 22: Sultan
Kudarai ReP. Bai Sakaluran, DIWA
Partv-list Rip. Michael Aglipay, and
former Marino Party-list Rep Jose
Antotrio Lopez.
Last Su;da, Marino Palty-list
Reo. Sandro Conzalez announced that
Mdcnell Lusotan would assume his
Dost as the second representative of the
oartvlist after he was officially sworn
in by Cayetano on Nov 4, when the
House resumes lts sesslon.
Marino won two seats in the 2019
elections but Lopez resigned for
oersonal teasons.
' On Julv 23 or rhe second daY of
sessjon, tfie second highest atrcndance
of 268 was recorded, followed bY 266
on Aug. 13, 259 on Aug. 27 and 257 on
Julv 31.
Based on the records, the lowest
attendance of 185 was recorded on Aug.
20, a Tuesday, or the day sandwiched
by holidays where the House decided to
convene.
Aug. 19 was a holiday in Quezon CitY,
where the House is located, while Aug.
2l was Ninoy Aquino DaY.
Ldwmakers held sessions until the
filst week of October, but the joumals
for the last few session days were not yet
shown in the House website.
Upon Cayetano's instruction, Deputy
Speaker Mikee Romero of l-Pacman
said the House leaders ledby Romualdez
performed excellently in passing vital
pieces of legjslation to help President
i{odrigo Duterre realize his vision of a
bexter Philippines.
- "The Speaker and all of us wanted to
avbid the'delay that we had this year in
enacting the current national budget. It
really took its toll on the economy and
our people. lt slowed down economic
growth," Romero said.
- Ako Bisaya Pany:list Rep. Sonny
Lagon, whose partylist is allied with
the Lakas-Chdstian Muslim Democrats
where Romualdez is president,
commended his colleagues for their
dedication to thefu legislaiive duties as
by the impressive
shown attendance
record.
"Despite the spate of holidays,
lawmakers chose to attend to their
congressional work instead of going on
an extended break. This is due to the
strong and competent leadership for
keeping the House of Representatives
oo
"traik in achieving its legislative
agenda and priorities," Lagon said
"This attendance record is
unsurpassed, historic, and a testament
to the determination and patriotism of
the legislators, under the guidance ofthe
present leadershiP."
Despite the recent hotly contested
speakership race. Romualdez said House
leaders delivered President Duterte's
legislative agenda after processing 220
measures in 20 session daYs.
N roAqd. A4,,