House posts record 76% attendance

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has posted a record 76.2 percent attendance in the first 34 days of the second regular session of Congress that started last July 24.

Journals of proceedings prepared by the secretariat show that attendance in the three-days-a-week sessions averaged 224, with 70 members or nearly 24 percent absent.

The average attendance was more than the quorum of 148 of the chamber’s 294 members. There was no day since July 24 until Congress adjourned middle of last month when quorum was not attained.

Roll calls were made at exactly 4 p.m. In previous Congresses, presiding officers had to wait for at least an hour for enough members to show up in the session hall before ordering a roll call.

The calling of the roster of members was dispensed with if attendance was not sufficient for a quorum so that the House would be able to tackle its business for the day without establishing the presence of enough members.

Under the rules, in a situation where the roll is called and attendance is insufficient, the presiding officer is duty-bound to immediately adjourn the session. That prevents the House from proceeding with its business.

Such scenario did not happen even once in the first 34 session days of the House. 

The highest attendance of 264 was recorded when Congress started its second regular session in the morning of July 24. In the afternoon, lawmakers heard President Duterte’s second State of the Nation Address.

The lowest attendance was posted on Sept. 8, which was a Friday, when the House was tackling the proposed P3.8-trillion 2018 national budget. 

For six days, from Sept. 5 to 8 and 11 and 12, the House held morning and afternoon sessions for budget deliberations. Roll calls were made at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Morning attendance averaged 175.7, improving to 224.8 in the afternoon sessions.

Asked to comment on the unprecedented level of attendance, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said, “It is due to the leadership and camaraderie that Speaker (Pantaleon) Alvarez has established with all House members.”

“For the first time, we have a communications thread where everyone interacts with each other 24/7. Just look at the inspection trips we conducted all over the Philippines using exclusively land and sea transportation,” he said.

Many members give credit not only to Alvarez but to Fariñas as well for the records that the House has established, like the unparalleled level of attendance in sessions and prompt roll calls.

They said it was their majority leader’s idea that the calling of the roll should be made at the exact time of 4 p.m., when sessions are to start as the rules provide.

Prompt morning and afternoon roll calls during budget deliberations were also among Fariñas’ initiatives, they said.