Albay representative Edcel Lagman was the one who voted against the granting of
emergency powers for President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in dealing with the novel
coronavirus 2019 disease or COVID-19 health crisis.
Lagan slams the way the new system of virtual
plenary session and distance electronic voting, under which House Bill No. 6616
was adopted, for being illegal because the innovation was not
validly effected by a proper amendment of the existing House rule requiring the
physical presence of Members in the plenary hall for the determination of a
quorum and ascertainment of the requisite vote.
“The suspension or amendment of the Rules of the
House was not even formally moved, requested or required," he said.
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman and President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (photo credit to owner) |
He said the special session is a sham after the
House Speaker announced the presence of a quorum without a roll call and with a
declaration that practically all members are purportedly on “official business”
in their respective constituencies in order to consider them “present” but
without the right to vote in absentia.
As regards the merits of the proposal, he call it unconstitutional
as it is prohibited under the Constitutuion.
“This extraordinary budgetary power may constitute
“transfer of funds” prohibited by Section 25 of Article VI, and therefore,
unconstitutional,” he said.
For Lagman, House Bill No. 6616
is a surplusage because there are adequate response funds in the 2020 GAA,
including the President’s Contingent Fund of P13 billion which is barely
touched, all of which can be readily implemented without need for realignment.
Under the General Provisions of
the GAA, Section 66, the President is authorized to use legitimate savings in
the Executive Department and to augment deficient appropriations from such
savings.
“In fact, the bill does not even
include a supplemental budget and or an economic stimulus package. The expected
rise in the number of patients who will test positive for COVID-19 is due not
to the escalation of the deadly virus but because of the increase and more
extensive use of test kits which have been made more available recently. There
is also no need for legislation for the provision of ample supply of test kits
and protective personal equipment (PPEs),” he said.
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Report from ABS-CBN News
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