Sarangani congressman Manny Pacquiao was marked absent at the House of Representatives despite going on official leave to promote his upcoming fight with Shane Mosley in the United States.
House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. said even if Pacquiao is on official leave, he is still absent because his trip was not part of his duties as congressman.
Belmonte expressed satisfaction at the current attendance level at plenary sessions, which, in previous Congresses, were hounded by failures to muster a quorum.
He said the plenary is expected to tackle more bills from the committees in the run up to the first Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) under the Aquino administration on February 28.
