Only 15 percent or 43 of the 280 members of the House of Representatives have attended all the 45 sessions of the 15th Congress this year. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte led those who had perfect attendance. The House began its regular session on July 26 and adjourned on December 14 after it ratified the reconciled version of the P1.645 trillion proposed national budget for 2011. The session will resume on January 17, 2011. Aside from Belmonte, the others who were never absent during the sessions were:
- South Cotabato Rep. Pedro Acharon,
- Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop,
- DIWA Partylist Rep. Emmeline Aglipay,
- Isabela Rep Rodolfo Albano Jr.,
- Batangas Rep. Tomas Apacible,
- Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado ‘Dato’ Arroyo,
- Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing,
- Quezon City Rep. Jorge John Banal,
- Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga,
- Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil,
- Pasay Rep. Imelda Calixto-Rubiano,
- Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo,
- Capiz Rep. Jane Castro,
- Tarlac Rep. Enrique Cojuangco,
- Mountain Province Rep. Maximo Dalog,
- Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza,
- Cebu Rep. Rachel del Mar,
- Sorsogon Rep. Salvador Escudero III,
- Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone,
- Zamboanga City Rep. Erico Basilio Fabian,
- Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas,
- Camarines Sur Rep. Salvio Fortuno,
- Bataan Rep. Albert Garcia,
- Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez,
- Butil Rep. Agapito Guanlao,
- Tawi-Tawi Rep. Nur Jaafar,
- Senior Citizen Rep. David Kho,
- Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman,
- Romblon Rep. Leandro Jesus Madrona,
- An Waray Rep. Neil Montejo,
- An Waray Rep. Florencio Noel,
- Bohol Rep. Rene Relampagos,
- Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez,
- Bataan Rep. Herminia Roman,
- North Cotabato Rep. Jesus Sacdalan,
- Sultan Kudarat Rep. Raden Sakaluran,
- Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento,
- Western Samar Rep. Mel Sarmiento,
- Marikina Rep. Marcelino Teodoro,
- Iloilo Rep. Neil Tupas Jr., and
- Bukidnon Rep. Jose Ma. Zubiri.
Out of the 43, seven were on their third term.
House recognition They were recognized by the House leadership during their Christmas party on December 14 and given a pen as token of appreciation, Belmonte said in his weekly press conference on Thursday. He said at least 218 House members are present in the plenary during sessions. He refused to name the House members who are habitual absentees. Belmonte was satisfied with the current performance of the House.
“Maganda ang aura ng Congress na ito. At saka isa pa so many new faces here, hindi yung tired, old faces ang nakikita ng publiko. Yung faces with new ideas are coming to the fore and all of them contribute to the general image of Congress," he said. In his message when they adjourned the session on Tuesday, Belmonte lauded the support of his colleagues, both from the administration and opposition in passing vital pieces of legislation, including General Appropriations Bill (GAB) 2011. “Each of us has been ushered into this Chamber by our constituency not only hopeful but expectant of change. Our performance since July evinces our collective will to fulfill our people's high expectations," he said. “After 45 session days, we have sustained our sterling attendance record. Since our organization, this chamber as well as its committees has actively functioned," Belmonte said. "To date, we are in receipt of more than 4,600 measures consisting of more than 3,800 bills and close to 800 resolutions," he said. "Of this number, we have already approved 20 bills on third reading and another 5 bills of national significance on second reading. Our various committees have also produced 425 committee reports," he added. Aside from the ratification of the national budget, the House also concurred with Proclamation No. 75 which grants amnesty to mutineers. “Our legislative action thus far has been marked not only by deliberate speed and decisiveness, but also by integrity and conviction," Belmonte said. Indeed, I am most proud to preside over this House whose current membership has exhibited great courage to vote more on principle and less on political expediency, and whose actions have restored statesmanship amongst us," Belmonte added. “The quality of plenary deliberations has also dramatically risen. The impeachment complaint against the Ombudsman sparked heated arguments and debates - whether for or against - which brought many of our members out of the closet," he said.
– VVP/JV, GMANews.TV 
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