In order to foreclose any legal infirmities in holding virtual congressional sessions and committee meetings by electronic means which are not presently sanctioned by the Rules of the House, a compromise can be adopted which will not require the physical presence of Representatives in the Plenary Hall.
Since Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano reiterated his assurance the other day that “there’s no move to close down ABS-CBN”, then why not grant the extension of the network’s franchise soonest?
The franchise of ABS-CBN Corporation expires on May 4, 2020, the same day the House of Representatives and the Senate resume their sessions after the Lenten break.
The bicameral committee conference work of the two chambers of Congress has never been free of contentious issues, much more so when a compromise version is being written for a centerpiece legislation. The Eighth Congress, the first Congress to convene after martial law, which also witnessed the full flowering of democratic debates, was legendary for its friction-marred bicameral conference committee process. This Congress transformed bicameral work into a mini-Congress, with verbal fireworks, debates of impossible acrimony — and covert acts of character assassination — morphing into that search for the compromise legislation.
I truly respect and admire the bold and justified resignation of Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.
He is among the last, if not the only remaining, independent-minded Duterte Cabinet member.
The government must heed the advice of world health authorities and scientists not to prematurely lift lockdown and social distancing restrictions because a one-time or limited lockdown cannot effectively control the spread of viral transmission.
Several internationally renowned epidemiologists also cautioned that ill-conceived post-lockdown policies may result to the resurgence of the dreaded disease.
