Secretary General of the House of Representatives of the Philippines

According to Rule VI, Section 18 of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the duties and powers of the Secretary General are:

• To call the session to order, to call the roll of Members by provinces, cities and municipalities comprising districts and by party-lists in alphabetical order, to designate an acting Floor Leader, to preserve order and decorum, and to decide all questions of order, as presiding officer pending the election of the Speaker, during the inaugural session of the House;
  • To prepare the Order of Business for the inaugural session of the House which shall include:
  • a Resolution informing the President of the Philippines that the House of Representatives has been organized and has elected its Speaker, Deputy Speakers, Secretary General and Sergeant-at-Arms;
  • a Resolution informing the Senate of the Philippines that the House of Representatives has been organized and has elected its Speaker, Deputy Speakers, Secretary General and Sergeant-at-Arms;
  • a Concurrent Resolution of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines providing for a joint session to hear the State of the Nation Address of the President of the Philippines; and
  • a Concurrent Resolution authorizing the appointment of a joint committee of both Houses to inform the President of the Philippines that Congress, in joint session, is ready to receive the President for the State of the Nation Address;
• To enforce orders and decisions of the House;
• To prepare and distribute copies of the Order of Business of the House to all Members;
• e. to attend, personally or through representative, all sessions of the House, call the roll of the Members and read bills, resolutions, messages, communications, memorials, petitions and other documents which should be reported to the House or the reading of which is required by the House or the Speaker;
• To note all questions of order and the decisions thereon, the records of which shall be printed at the close of each session for the use of the Members as appendix to the Journal of such session;
• To keep, certify and distribute to the Members the Journal of each session which shall be a clear and succinct account of the business conducted and actions taken by the House: Provided, That Journals of executive sessions shall be recorded in a separate book and kept confidential;
• To provide the House with information on approved bills to be transmitted to the President for action;
• To distribute to Members, within six (6) months after the close of a regular session, copies of the Record of the House for a regular session and the acts and resolutions passed and adopted during the same;
• To make available on the House website within six (6) months after the close of every regular session, the Record of the House;
• To distribute to Members, at the commencement of every regular session, a list of the reports submitted to the House by each head of department of the Executive and Judicial Departments;
• To procure and retain sufficient copies of books, records and documents for the use of the Members and the officers of the House in the library of the House and in the office of the Secretary General;
• To attest to and affix the seal of the House on all writs, warrants and subpoenae issued by or upon order of the House or the Speaker;
• To certify and affix the seal of the House on all approved measures, orders, acts and resolutions
• To submit to the Speaker all contracts and agreements for approval;
• To ensure that the employees of the House perform their duties competently, efficiently and effectively, and in furtherance thereof, to impose necessary disciplinary measures and recommend dismissal of erring employees to the Speaker in accordance with Civil Service rules, and to recommend to the Speaker policies and programs on recruitment and hiring of competent professionals, the improvement of the capabilities of House personnel to provide needed technical and other support services to the Members, and the acquisition, improvement and upgrading of necessary facilities and equipment;
• To appoint personnel of the House when authorized by the Speaker;
• To serve as custodian of the property and records of the House and all government property within the House premises, and to make an inventory of all these property and records at the beginning and end of each regular session;
• To cause the publication of the attendance record of Members in sessions of the House and their voting records on bills of national application in accordance with rules and regulations to be issued by the House; and
• To perform other duties that may be assigned or ordered by the House or by the Speaker.