MANILA -- A day after leaders of Congress met with President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, the House suffrage committee "killed" all bills seeking the postponement of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls.
Voting 22-15, committee members voted to lay down on the table all the pending bills and therefore, abandoning efforts to defer the village polls as sought by some lawmakers.
"When we lay to table all these pending bills, the legal effect of the barangay and the SK would push through on October 25 and this is actually part of the postion of the Palace," said committee chair Elpidio Barzaga Jr. (fourth district, Cavite).
Committee members were expected to vote on the postponement in the Wednesday's hearing but events turned after Minority leader Edcel Lagman questioned the Tuesday's meeting of some members of the majority with the President.
Lagman said a representative of the minority party should be present in the meetings discussing the legislative agenda but no one bothered to invite them.
"Apparently, the leadership of the committee is prepared to kill this bill...we are virtually having a wake over the bills and we are just preparing the funeral," Lagman stressed during the briefing.
Lagman is one of more than 30 congressmen seeking for the postponement of the polls. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)