Thursday, January 5, 2012
MANILA — Three members of the Arroyo family in the House of Representatives were listed as last year’s top absentees, records released Thursday show.
Negros Occidental Representative Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo only attended 26 of the 59 session days from January 17 to December 14, making him the House member with the third highest number of absences.
His sister-in-law, former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, only attended 35 session days. The other 24 days were covered with notices of absence, citing medical reasons.
Arroyo was last seen attending a plenary session when Congress opened its second regular session before the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Benigno Aquino III last June. Arroyo was rushed to the hospital for a pinched nerve in the neck while Aquino was delivering his speech. She had since undergone three cervical spine surgeries and is currently detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) for electoral sabotage charges.
The former President’s son, Ang Galin Pinoy party-list Representative Juan Miguel “Mike” Arroyo meanwhile attended 33 sessions.
Unlike his relatives, Camarines Sur Representative Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo managed to log a perfect attendance for the year 2011.
Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao attended 27 session days, 21 of which were without official notice. The Filipino boxing icon entered two matches last year with Shane Mosley in May and Juan Manuel Marquez in November.
Topping the list of absentees is Dinagat Island Representative Ruben Ecleo with only eight sessions attended out of the 59. Ecleo, however, filed 45 notices indicating he was out on local official business.
Ecleo, , the supreme master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association, has failed to attend sessions while appealing an arrest warrant issued against him after being found guilty of graft by the Sandiganbayan. He is also facing parricide charges for allegedly killing his wife on January 2002.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Majority Leader Neptali “Boyet” Gonzales II, and Minority Leader Edcel Lagman meanwhile recorded a perfect attendance. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)