The lawmaking sessions of the Sixteenth Congress came to a close Wednesday night, February 3, marking the start of a long recess. This Congress will meet one last time within 30 days after the May 12, 2016, elections to canvass the votes for president and vice president and declare the winners. The adjournment of the House last Wednesday was a rather abrupt one, leaving many important bills unacted upon. It had been hoped that Congress would be able to override the presidential veto on a P2,000 pension increase for retired Social Security System members, but House officials decided to end the session before any vote could be taken. A veto override would have greatly embarassed the President and signaled a break in administration ranks. As a result of the sudden adjournment, a number of important bills were left unacted upon, notably the Salary Standardization Law which would have upgraded the [...]
