House Speaker Prospero Nograles said Thursday only a special session, called by no other than the President, could save all 208 pending bills from going down the drain as the 14th Congress comes to a close.

One of the pending bills would have provided for stiffer penalties on crimes relating to firearms and light weapons which the Philippine National Police has been batting for.

Speaking at the Broadcaster’s Forum at Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City, Nograles said it would be impossible to pass all the pending bills but if the President calls for a special session, she would have to identify specific priority bills for ratification.

But even the possibility of having a special session to fast track certain measures seems remote.

The House adjourned Thursday and will resume session for the last time from May 31 to June 4 to canvass and proclaim the next president and vice president.

“Only the President can call a special session. The House Speaker cannot do that. The Senate President cannot call for a special session. Even if we (Senate and House) agree, we cannot override the President in calling for a special session,” he said.

However, even if President Arroyo calls for a special session during the break to attend to priority legislation, Nograles posed another problem: “Paano kung walang quorum? (What if there is no quorum?)”

The Speaker did give a window of hope that if proclaiming the next president and vice president goes smoothly when Congress resumes, there might be a chance for some priority bills to be passed.

“I hope we can do some unfinished business by then (May 31 to June 4). Di sana maging problema ang quorum. ‘Yung mga nanalo, baka magbakasyon. Yung mga natalo baka mahiya; di magpakita. In my experience, more or less, ganyan ang mangyayari,” he said.

In the event of a special session, Nograles is training his sights on 39 national measures awaiting either ratification or just a signature of the President to become law.

Among these are the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, needing the President’s signature; the Freedom of Information Bill; the Right of Reply Bill; the bill to rehabilitate the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant; and the bill giving tenure to the office of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chief, among others, which only await ratification.

Nograles said that while the House had passed 1,011 measures on third reading, there are 1,020 bills transmitted by the House to the Senate that remain pending in the Upper Chamber.

PNP officials, meanwhile, have expressed dismay over the political bickering at the Senate that affected the passage of certain urgent bills, including the proposed measures on firearms control.

They said Senate Bill No. 3584, an act providing for stiffer penalties or crimes relating to firearms and light weapons, remained pending on the last day of Congress last Thursday even though President Arroyo certified the legislative measure as urgent.

Because of lack of quorum, the second and third reading for Senate Bill 3584 was deferred, leaving major proponents of the measure, particularly the PNP, in disappointment.

PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa said the proposed measure could have helped the national police in the campaign for orderly and clean national elections in May especially in police operations against partisan armed groups and violators of the Comelec-imposed nationwide ban on firearms.

"This piece of legislation should empower the police in preventing violence during the election period through more aggressive and effective firearms control," Verzosa said.

Nonetheless, Verzosa assured that the PNP "will do our level best, despite difficult circumstances, in ensuring honest, orderly and peaceful elections with all our vested authority within the bounds of law to ensure honest and clean elections, and mount a reinvigorated campaign against partisan armed groups, threat groups and syndicated crime groups."

"We appeal anew to our people to rally behind us in our campaign against crimes and violence as campaign period starts on Feb. 9 for national candidates and in March for local candidates," said Verzosa. (Elena L. Aben)