P1,000-budget for CHR? How did your Reps vote? Here’s a partial list – and why there’s no full list (yet)

September 12, 2017 - 7:23 PM
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Photo by Boy Santos, Philippine Star
The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 119-32 to endorse a P1,000-budget for the Commission on Human Rights. The matter now goes to a bicameral committee to be joined in by members of the Senate.
Whom in the House of Representatives voted for or against the move to slash the CHR’s budget? Not even House leaders could immediately say, as individual congressmen were literally lost in the crowd.
House plenary staff, pressed by media immediately after the vote, said they did not list down how individual congressmen voted because legislators were called merely to stand for a headcount after a viva voce vote – a shout of “Aye” or “Nay” – was deemed inconclusive. (Apparently, though very much outnumbered, those who voted against the move to curtail the CHR funds for 2018, were at least much louder in the first attempt to divide the House.)
Majority Leader Rodolfo Farinas could only affirm: “There is no such record as voting was by ‘ayes’ and ‘nays’, which was ultimately done…when the ‘nays’ challenged the ruling of the chair that the ‘ayes’ had it. [So] 112 members stood to register an ‘aye’ vote, while 39 stood to vote against the motion.”
As Congress staff and media try to identify those who voted No from video footage, here, unofficially, is a list of 30 legislators who House staff said were among the 32 who voted against the P1,000-budget for the Commission on Human Rights. We will update as we confirm more names:
  1. Gary Alejano (Magdalo partylist)
  2. Lito Atienza (Buhay partylist)
  3. Kaka Bag-ao (Dinagat Island)
  4. Jorge Banal (Quezon City)
  5. Kit Belmonte (Quezon City)
  6. Emmanuel Billones (Capiz)
  7. Gabriel Bordado (Camarines Sur)
  8. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela partylist)
  9. Wilfredo Caminero (Cebu)
  10. Ariel Casilao (Anakpawis partylist)
  11. France Castro (Gabriela partylist)
  12. Raul Daza (Northern Samar)
  13. Emmi De Jesus (Gabriela)
  14. Raul Del Mar (Cebu)
  15. Sarah Jane Elago (Kabataan partylist)
  16. Bayani Fernando (Marikina)
  17. Lawrence Fortun (Agusan del Norte)
  18. Mark Go (Baguio City)
  19. Edcel Lagman (Albay)
  20. Jocelyn Limkaichong (Negros Oriental)
  21. Evelyn Mellana (Agusan del Sur)
  22. Rosenda Ann Ocampo (Manila)
  23. Aileen Radaza (Lapu-lapu City)
  24. Ramon Rocamora (Siquijor)
  25. Bai Sandra Sema (Maguindanao/Cotabato City)
  26. Antonio Tinio(Act Teachers)
  27. Tom Villarin(Akbayan partylist)
  28. Rosanna Vergara (Nueva Ecija)
  29. Carlos Zarate (Bayan Muna partylist)
  30. Manuel Zubiri (Bukidnon)