This should come as no surprise, but it turns out Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao is not the pound-for-pound legislator at the House of Representatives, attending only 108 of 168 session days from July 2010 to June 2013.
According to reports, Pacquiao was only “actually” present for 98 session days and “deemed present” for 10 session days. Members are deemed present when they are on official business outside the session hall.
Twenty-two of Pacquiao’s absences were listed under “constituency work”, which he presumably spent with people from Sarangani.
Negros Occidental Rep. Julio Ledesma IV, known for not attending sessions, was actually present more times than Pacquiao. He was actually present for 100 session days. Ledesma was deemed present on eight session days.
Pacquiao has had to balance being a legislator with being a prize fighter.
Also among legislators with the most absences were Ang Galing party-list Juan Miguel Arroyo of the now-disqualified party-list for security guards, who attended 112 session days, and his mother Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The former President has been under hospital detention on a plunder charge since October 2012.
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Photo: David Finger
