Another divisive bill
Avery controversial proposed law to allow absolute divorce in the Philippines went through voting on third and final reading a few hours before the 19th Congress adjourned sine die last May 22. At the end of the voting, the House of Representatives reported the proposed House Bill (HB) 9349, or the Absolute Divorce Bill, was approved with 126 “Yes” votes, 109 “No” votes, with 20 abstentions.
In obvious haste, however, the results of the voting did not add up to majority votes required under their own House parliamentary rules. It was immediately noticed by a veteran lawmaker just watching on the sidelines. In his personal “X” (formerly Twitter) account, erstwhile Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III called them out for the blatant error.
Sotto, who twice headed the 17th and 18th Congress as Senate chief, warned the House voting on HB 9349 could be challenged. Under parliamentary rules, he argued, the “abstentions” have the effect and are considered with the “No” votes, Sotto cited. If there were 20 abstentions and 109 “No” votes, then it would total to 129 votes. “Therefore, the motion is lost. Parliamentary rules need majority of the quorum,” Sotto pointed out. Sotto argued the vote count should comprise majority of the 255 quorum obtained in session that Wednesday night.
Apprised about the hullaballoo on the results of the voting, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez directed House secretary-general Reginald Velasco to check their records. The House secretariat traced the error to ensuing confusion after several House members withdrew their votes after the counting was completed.
Some House members changed their votes on the absolute divorce bill, either from “Yes” to “No” or vice versa.
The office of the House secretariat subsequently rectified its apparent mix up in the voting results that would be sent back for plenary approval. Velasco clarified a total of 131 congressmen voted in favor, and not 126 as earlier reported. Velasco issued the press statement through its social media account a few hours later that night.
“When a parliamentary body reports a vote in plenary then changes the following morning not in plenary, ano ang tawag dun? Sumabit! And
