House to hold special session over Middle East conflict

Under Section 87, Rule 12 of the House Rules, “The Speaker, in consultation with the Majority and Minority Leaders and their Senate counterparts, may convene the House in session at any time during a recess or between sessions to consider urgent legislative matters or concerns.” (File Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA— The House of Representatives is ready to hold a special session to map out contingency plans for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle East amid growing tensions between the US and Iran.

House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez made the statement after President Rodrigo Duterte called on Congress to prepare a “standby fund” that could be used for the possible evacuation of OFWs in the Middle East.

Romualdez, however, noted that the chamber is still waiting for Malacañang’s formal communication to the House on the issue.

“Such communication is needed to guide us on what is expected of Congress during the special session. While waiting for the Palace communication, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano has already asked the House Secretariat to make the necessary preparations for a special session,” Romualdez said.

Under Section 87, Rule 12 of the House Rules, “The Speaker, in consultation with the Majority and Minority Leaders and their Senate counterparts, may convene the House in session at any time during a recess or between sessions to consider urgent legislative matters or concerns.”

The House leader said the House agrees with the President’s pronouncement that the rising tension in the Middle East is a “major concern that needs urgent legislative attention.”

“We are ready to clothe the executive with all the powers needed to make sure that every Filipino is safe and secure in these trying times,” he said.

“We join the nation in praying for the safety of Filipino OFWs deployed in the Middle East and in other parts of the world. Their safety is our primordial concern at the moment,” he added.

Romualdez assured the families of the OFWs that their representatives in Congress are working closely with the executive department to ensure that no Filipinos will be harmed in the course of the ongoing conflicts.