Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Elderly pensioners caused quite a stir at the House of Representatives (HOR) on Wednesday afternoon (February 3) after the House leadership adjourned session without taking up the president’s veto on the bill to hike the monthly funds received by Social Security System retirees.
Senior citizens in the gallery chanted “Override! Override!” to no avail as lawmakers started filing out after a quorum had earlier been declared.
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Bayan Muna Party-list Representative Neri Colmenares, who authored House Bill 5842 aimed at increasing the monthly SSS pension by P2,000, lamented over how the administration-allied congressmen did not give him a chance to be heard at least.
Colmenares said the manner by which he was prevented to call for an override was “outrageous” as he was giving a speech when the microphone was turned off.
“Mabuti sana kung bumoto at natalo. At least masasabi na natalo ka fair and square,” Colmenares said.
[Translation: “It would have been alright if voting was held and we lost. At least, we would have lost fair and square.”]
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Some senior citizens decried how they were prevented from entering the session hall, notwithstanding their frailty and old age.
For its part, militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), said it “condemned” House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. and the House leadership.
“While it is expected that the HOR leadership would act to prevent an override, the means by which it prevented the override is most brazen,” the group said in a statement released on Thursday (February 4).
“It also shows Aquino’s continuing hold over the Congress leadership, which is partly the result of his preservation of the scheme of patronage known as the pork barrel system.”
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Meanwhile, Colmenares said he was not throwing in the towel yet and he would try to bring up the override in a special session or when Congress resumes for the canvassing of votes for the 2016 polls.
CNN Philippines’ Pia Bonalos contributed to this report.
