OPPOSITION lawmakers have blasted House leadership following the sudden adjournment of the session on Wednesday evening, February 3, preventing a vote that could have potentially overridden the veto of President Benigno Aquino III on the proposed Social Security System (SSS) pension increase.
Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, House senior deputy minority floor leader, said that SSS pensioners, especially senior citizens, were “outraged and dismayed” over Congress’ refusal to give opposition lawmakers a chance to override the veto.
“Many senior citizens came to the plenary with the hope to witness the override of President Aquino’s veto of the P2,000 SSS pension increase… then suddenly the House leadership unceremoniously and abruptly ended the session without allowing a vote on the override motion,” the Negrense lawmaker said.
Colmenares added that 213 lawmakers were inside the House premises, according to the House Secretariat, and at least 57 of those present already committed to override Aquino’s veto on the proposed pension increase.
“The majority did not have the votes to quell the override and decided to even sacrifice the passage of their priority bills like the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) bill just to avoid losing the vote on override,” he said.
Anakpawis Representative Fernando Hicap took a swipe at Liberal Party vice chairperson for political affairs and Caloocan City Representative Edgar Erice for branding the pension hike as an electoral issue for Colmenares’ senatorial bid.
Hicap said the measure was filed as early as March 2011 as House Bill 4365, then proposing a P7,000 increase in pension.
“Traditional politicians only see bills for the people’s welfare as electioneering as it is what they do, they promise the moon and could even claim it is made of cheese just to win the election,” Hicap said.
Colmenares vowed to continue gathering support from members to vote for the override once Congress resumes session on May 23.
Negros Occidental fourth district Representative Jeffrey Ferrer sought the understanding of the public after the SSS pension increase was not given importance in the House session last Wednesday.
Ferrer, a member of the majority who voted for the passage of the SSS pension increase, said in a statement on Thursday, February 4, that with the numerous pending bills of equal importance in Congress, “overriding the veto did not make it to the floor.”
However, “all is not lost, we are still hoping that a win-win solution can be reached,” he added.
Ferrer said that if it is indeed impossible to grant the P2,000 across-the-board pension increase, “a reasonable amount must be met to benefit our pensioners as well as still protect the possible insolvency of the SSS.”
Moreover, Ferrer said he is “overly satisfied” with how the 16th Congress has performed, although he admitted that there are pressing bills on the floor apart from the SSS bill that need to be addressed.
Though there may not be enough session days left to deliberate on these, “it is not the death of these bills as this can still be pursued in the next congress,” he added.
“We have done our best not just in passing bills of national importance but in conducting inquiries on the most pressing national issues,” Ferrer said, citing the enactment of the Strategic Trade Management Act that prevents proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by managing the trade of strategic goods.