House centennial rites on June 7
THE House of Representatives will convene a special plenary session on June 7 to launch the centennial celebration of the first popularly elected parliament in Southeast Asia, Speaker Jose de Venecia announced.
Before the session, a series of key events will take place, including the unveiling of a historical marker, the launching of a centennial history book entitled Assembly of the Nation, and the opening of a photo exhibit.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Vice President Noli de Castro, Senate President Manuel Villar, Chief Justice Reynato Puno, and visiting Speakers of Parliament will deliver speeches during the event.
Among the foreign dignitaries who have confirmed attendance include Bangladesh Speaker Muhammad Jamiruddin Sirchar, Cambodian President of Parliament Samdech Heng Samrin, Finland Deputy Speaker Johannes Koskinen, Indonesian Speaker Agung Laksono, Iranian Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, Malaysian Speaker Tan Sri Dato Seri Diraja Ramli Bin Ngah Talib, Mexican Speaker Jorge Zermeno Infante, Russian Federation Duma Vice Chairman Arthur Chilingarov, Thai President of Parliament Meechai Ruchupan, and Liu Minzu, Special Envoy of Chairman Wu Bangguo of the Chinese Parliament.
The House of Representatives traces its roots to the country’s first elective national legislature organized in 1907 under American colonial rule. The 80-man Philippine Assembly, or Asamblea Filipina, was inaugurated on October 7, 1907, following elections held four months earlier. Sergio Osmeña of Cebu was elected the first Speaker.
“Our institution has carried the task of giving voice to the highest aspirations of the Filipino people and translating these into law-in the context of a dynamic representative democracy-with all the debate and consensus-building entailed by the process,” said De Venecia.
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