By CARMELA FONBUENA
abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak
House Speaker Prospero Nograles today gathered Mindanao congressmen to discuss the collective stand of the legislative chamber on the proposal to postpone the August 11 automated elections in the Administrative Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
“All these things happened (proposal to postpone the ARMM elections) during recess, we didn’t have the opportunity to talk to each other collectively,” Nograles said in the opening statement before he asked the media to leave the conference room.
After a long break, the second regular session of the 14th Congress resumed yesterday with President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address.
“The leadership believes in a consensus. Since we are the ones mostly affected by this proposal, I think we should really open our minds and think intelligently,” Nograles said.
“We’d like to arrive at a consensus among ourselves so that we will be able make a stand. We don’t want to quarrel with each other. We just want to reason with each other. We must have unity and solidarity when it comes to Mindanao . We should speak as one voice,” Nograles added.
Aside from several Mindanao congressmen, Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr.—chairman of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms—was also present in the executive session. Nograles said presidential adviser on the peace process former Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and his predecessor Jesus Dureza were also invited. But they were not present in the room when the media were inside.
“I’m sure our colleagues in the Visayas and our colleagues Luzon will defer to the Mindanao congressmen when it comes to Mindanao concerns, especially the ARMM,” Nograles said.
The executive session opened at 2 p.m. and is expected to last for two hours to make way for the 4 p.m. regular session.