The House of Representatives and Senate convene in a joint session deliberating the extension of Martial Law in Mindanao at the House of Representatives on July 22, 2017. The 60-day martial law period expires Saturday even as fighting continues  between government troops and the Maute group. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Joint Session on Martial Law Extension

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

The transmittal to the Senate of the House of Representatives-approved Absolute Divorce Bill has been put on hold, as the correction increasing the number of affirmative votes for the measure has yet to be reflected in the Records of the House. House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said the rectification of records will be done when Congress resumes session on July 22. At least two congressmen said they will raise questions regarding the matter. “Tatanungin lang natin kung bakit nangyari at kung ano talaga ang totoong storya, kasi sinabi lang nagkamali. Saan nagkamali? Paano nagkamali? ‘Yun ang gusto natin malaman, para hindi na maulit,” AGRI Party-List Rep. Wilbert Lee said in an interview with the media on Thursday.“Nagkakaroon ng duda tuloy ‘pag ganitong mga kontrobersyal na issues, measures. Hindi po dapat nangyayari ‘yung ganoon,” he added. &quot;When sessions resume in July, I will definitely raise this issue. This Divorce Law is not a done deal,” Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said.<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/29/-i-have-a-very-happy-family-life-cynthia-villar-rejects-divorce-bill-1244" id="isPasted">&#x27;I have a very happy family life&#x27;: Cynthia Villar rejects divorce bill </a></div>&quot;The House has deferred transmission of the Divorce Law to allow those like myself to raise our concerns regarding the vote taken on this measure, and I believe holding the bill is a prudent move given that there are legitimate issues here that must be resolved,&quot; he added. During the House plenary session last May 22, the presiding officer announced that the Absolute Divorce Bill was approved on final reading by the lower chamber, with 126 affirmative votes, 109 negative votes and 20 abstentions.But a report signed by the House Secretary General dated May 22 informed House members that the “actual results” reflected a higher number of affirmative votes at 131. A copy of the report was released to the media on May 23, with Velasco explaining that the correction was due to a “purely administrative error”. Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman urged the Office of the House Secretary General to immediately transmit to the Senate the House-approved Absolute Divorce Bill. In a letter addressed to House Secretary General Velasco, Lagman, who is among the bill’s authors, said the correction in the number of affirmative votes for the measure does not alter the ultimate results of the voting.<div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/27/chiz-says-house-approved-divorce-bill-not-affordable-to-the-poor-1411" id="isPasted">Chiz says House-approved divorce bill not affordable for the poor </a> </div>“There is no need to wait. Whether the affirmative margin was 126 against 109, as initially reported by the staff of the Office of the Secretary General, or 131 to 109 as subsequently corrected on the same day, the irreversible fact is that the affirmative votes got the majority of those who voted with the presence of a quorum and without the abstentions being counted,” Lagman said in the letter. “Any correction, which increases the number of &#x27;yes&#x27; votes by five (5) and without changing the &#x27;no&#x27; votes will not alter the ultimate result of the voting. In fact, no member of the House has officially protested challenging the result,” he added. “The correction can be made when the House opens its Third Regular Session on 22 July 2024, without prejudice to the mandate of the House for the Secretary General to transmit immediately to the Senate the engrossed copy of the approved absolute divorce bill,” Lagman noted. Velasco said his office is studying Lagman’s letter.

The transmittal to the Senate of the House of Representatives-approved Absolute Divorce Bill has been put on hold, as the correction increasing the number of affirmative votes for the measure has yet to be reflected in the Records of the House.

The transmittal to the Senate of the House of Representatives-approved Absolute Divorce Bill has been put on hold, as the correction increasing the number of affirmative votes for the measure has yet to be reflected in the Records of the House.

Transmittal of House-approved Absolute Divorce Bill on hold | ABS-CBN

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Transmittal of House-approved Absolute Divorce Bill on hold

Transmittal of House-approved Absolute Divorce Bill on hold

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 30, 2024 05:04 PM PHT

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