The congressmen who flew to Las Vegas to watch the Pacquiao-Hatton match should skip sessions for at least one week as a precaution against the spread of the H1N1 virus, fellow solons said.

“We would like to complement Speaker [ Prospero] Nograles for agreeing to be quarantined. I hope that he will, in fact, be quarantined. We hope that other members who went to the Las Vegas expedition will also be quarantined,” Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello said.

“This temperature check at the airport may not be very effective if a person was exposed [to the virus] one to two days before [his return to the Philippines],” added Paranaque Rep. Roilo Golez.

Golez served as national security adviser in 2003, when the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus hit various territories, including neighboring Hong Kong.

“It would be a terrible blow to the govt if—because of their participation in Congress--people here will start falling because of the flu. It would also be very tragic if Congress becomes the center of the epidemic. Congress cannot recover from such tragedy,” Bello added.

No special treatment

“Malapit talaga sa Mexico. They should not seek special treatment. We appeal to the DOH [Department of Health] to quarantine them,” Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño also said.

“They should not attend sessions this week. The virus has a gestation period. Just to be sure, probably everyone who came from areas where there are infections, before going to work they should check with their doctors. Make sure they do not carry the infections,” Casiño added.

Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano proposed that even President Arroyo should be quarantined when she returns to the country.

“There shouldn't be any special treatment. Even President Arroyo and her entourage [should be quarantined] to protect our population from the swine flu virus,” Mariano said.

But Golez said the Philippines should follow the U.S. policy, which exempted President Obama from the quarantine. “It's very important that we have a chief executive, regardless of our sentiments,” Golez said.

Pending measures

Various important bills and measures are pending in the House of Representatives.

Congressmen are debating Charter change at the plenary. The House committee on justice is taking up the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

The bills on reproductive health, and the proposed extension of the ComprehensiveAgrarian Reform Program, among others, are pending, too.

“I don't know what their absence will do to the quorum, but they should not be in a hurry. We won't be in a hurry,” Casiño said.

Golez said it shouldn't stop the lower House from continuing with its work. “There should be no problem with the quorum. It is still a manageable situation,” he said.