Romualdez orders House to continue work during recess

Members of the House of Representatives will continue to work throughout their congressional recess as ordered by House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Romualdez, during Wednesday's plenary budget deliberations, has authorized all standing and special committees to hold hearings during the congressional break.

The House adjourned on Wednesday after successfully passing the General Appropriations Bill on the third and final reading.

House Bill 448, or the 2023 General Appropriations Bill, received 289 affirmatives, three negatives, and 0 abstentions.

In her formal motion in the plenary, House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin of Iloilo moved to allow all panels to continue producing vital pieces of legislation during the first recess of the 19th Congress.

"I move that we authorize all committees to conduct meetings and/or public hearings, if deemed necessary, during the House recess from September 29, 2022, to November 6, 2022," she said.

House Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales, who presided over the plenary session, approved the motion.

Romualdez and Garin, along with House Majority Leader Manuel Jose "Mannix" Dalipe of Zamboanga City, directed other House leaders to hold committee hearings during recess to expedite the passage of legislative measures, particularly those aimed at reviving the economy.

Garin said that the continuous hearings and deliberations of various measures, even when Congress is in recess, will help accelerate the passage of priority legislation.

The Speaker, before the adjournment, credited the swift passage of the "best possible form" of HB 4488 to the hard work of all lawmakers, the detailed scrutiny of the Minority bloc, and the unwavering cooperation of the executive branch.

It took barely six weeks for the lower chamber to approve the proposed P5.268 trillion budget for 2023.