18 solons score perfect attendance

Only 18 out of the 216 members of the House of Representatives registered a perfect attendance during the first regular session of the 12th Congress.

The legislature had a total of 91 session days. Its first regular session started on July 23, 2000 and ended last Tuesday.

Those with perfect attendance are Representatives Magtanggol Gunigundo I of Valenzuela City, Juan Miguel Zubiri of Bukidnon, Reynaldo Calalay and Ismael "Chuck" Mathay III of Quezon City, Harlin Abayon of Northern Samar;

Agapito Aquino of Makati City, Salacnib Baterina of Ilocos Sur, Juan Pablo Bondoc of Pampanga, Edgar Chatto of Bohol, Junie Cua of Quirino, Raul del Mar of Cebu City;

Conrado Estrella III of Pangasinan, Jaime Lopez of Manila, Josephine Ramirez-Sato of Mindoro Occidental, Jose Solis of Sorsogon, Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado of Bulacan, Celia Layus of Cagayan and Isidro Rodriguez Jr. of Rizal.

Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. would also have posted a perfect attendance had he not been on several official foreign missions for 11 session days.

Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II had two absences, while Minority Leader Carlos Padilla had only one absence.

The top absentees are Joey Salceda of Albay, who was absent for 33 days; Charlie Cojuangco of Negros Occidental, 31; Napoleon Beratio of Cavite, 30; Mark Jimenez of Manila, 21; Jack Duavit of Rizal, 19; and Angel Carloto of Zamboanga del Norte, 19 days. Cojuangco was on foreign missions for 20 days.

San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora was abroad for 11 days, Antonino Roman of Bataan for 10 days, Nereus Acosta of Bukidnon for nine days, and Abdullah Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte for seven days.

Many other House members were on "foreign mission" for several days during breaks in their session. These trips however are not reflected in the attendance record made by the House plenary affairs bureau.

Meanwhile, Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (Lakas, Surigao del Norte) clarified yesterday that only P7.5 million will be spent for the renovation of the "dilapidated floor and leaking roof" of the chamber’s session hall at the Batasan building in Quezon City.

Barbers, who chairs the accounts committee, said the House is renovating its session hall upon the "persistent request" of many members.

Last week, Leyte Rep. Ted Failon, a neophyte congressman, said the chamber’s leaders are spending P150 million for the repair work that is not needed.

"They have been holding sessions there since 1987. The costly renovation is clearly an unnecessary expense," he said.

Lakas Representatives Prospero Nograles of Davao City and Rodolfo Albano of Isabela criticized Failon for his "self-serving propaganda to project himself and put down the institution he belongs to."

"House members should distinguish themselves by the quality of bills they file and the quality of legislative work they do, not by the criticism and vitriol they hurl against their institution," the two Lakas congressmen said.

Repair work on the House session hall started last June 6 and will be finished before the opening of the second regular session on July 22, when President Arroyo delivers her second State of the Nation Address.