——— —_ aT ’ |TABLE OF RULES |s [3 ; J oF Motinws. [JETT Be wat ts 3 HE UE RY [egy eg (Listed rabeu 2/8 [2 b= ES] Fz Adjourn — ta |e] ou Adopt a Report — |—]|«i™m . Amend —jJ—-fsaf—[u[— 1 Appeal from Decision x [- [a |x imal sl x Call for Orders of the Day «= [se |x re — Ts “Ghange Vote — |7 [x [#6 ¥ Close Now -tions = fe [sl% = ~Qlose Poll - = If elulsl— rE Commit ¢ Ser, — |-— 9 a] M 5 10 |10 b| Divide the =. mbly * x] 6f«|] « Divide the _u tion 7 e{ «6[*|« |" Expunse — T— Jefulfu Extend/Limit Debate — [: | Fix vine to Adjourn — 1 Layon - Table ee _— Main, Mo! 1 or Question = Nomination, Method of © 1 {— Object to ©. «sideration Te _ Point of Infos nation ¥ “Point of Ord: * = | Point of-Parliamentary Inquiry] f =» fe — f—f[ofe ‘Postpone Definirely "ok Mégaville levige -afepay Dorman 2NOTE: See below for ex. 7 | Read Papers x |B «| g| planation on the use of this | 3 | = ale \z3 S| % | table e || lez le 12212] 3a —2 |4|.|2{23- [22/4 ) Zz MOTIONS se, 2|4 |2 e232 3 Q (Listed alphabetically) 22/3)2 | elz Z(EPl2 a — SF)2/8 26 2 Ze |= | pe fase Poupone Indefinitely ro (a2| Previous Question Ta Question of Privilewe {an —| at 7 —|s = 30 |. Reopen Nominations l=Ts 7 open Polls las 7 17 | Rescind or Repeal = = 20 | Suspend Rules et Ble 14 | Take from the Table y= mee 31 [\ Voting, Method of = fle Te 21 | Withdraw or Modify Jez i at HOW TO USE THE TABLE « The captions at the top of the right-hand columns of the table show the basic rules governing most motions. A dash (—) sign indicates that the rule applics to the corresponding motion, while an asterisk (#) means that the direct opposite of the rule is what applies instead. Wherr neither of these symbols is used, it means that the rule is not applicable to the motion in any way. For explanation of. the figures used in place of cither symbol, see the back fly leaf of this book. The coluua on the extreme tight shows the precedence of motions, while that-ou the extreme left shows the number of the section under which cach motion is fully discussed. “AB. Povitical scent = ~~ ee eeA \ aS. Wr _> we 10 CONSTITUTION, BY-LAWS, RULES OF ORDER, ai AND STANDING RULES Constitution; By-Laws; Rules of Order; Standing Rules; Parmeniary Autos Part. Three MOTIONS I f ‘ { t n SATUREAND CLASSIFICATION OF MOTIONS... 91 Meaning of Motion; Main Motions; Subsidiary Motions; “] ized Motions} Incidental Motions 2. characteristics OF MOTIONS, Presentation; Seconding Motionis; Debaubiligg Amenda: biliy; VoeRequired; Order of Preceéence;Applicabil ity to Other Motions; Renewabilisy” 98 18 PROGRESS OF MOTIONS =. Obtaining theFloor, Recognition Fomihe Pres, entation of Motion; Secoinding the Moton;Statemeny ofthe Motion; Discussion of the Moto: oi onthe Question; Announcement of the Vote: 109 ‘lt PRECEDENCE OF MOTIONS... Meaning and Necessity of Pretedence;Rulesoi ps 1 dence; Chart of Precedence of Motions Tere, “18 Part Fours’: PROCEDURE AND RULES “OF MOTIONS 1. -Fixthe Time to ‘Which to Adjoum. 2°. Adjourn 3. Take a Recess «. 4. Raise a Question of Privilegs 5 6 ” Call for the Orders of the Day Layon the Table serene BRCall for'the Previous Question Modify the Limits of Debate Postpone Definitely Commit or Refer. Amend ‘Postponé Inde! Main Motion Take. from the Table-. Reconsider +... ~ Reconsider and-Have Entered on the Minutes Rescind or Repeal Expunge -, Adopt a Report.. Suspend Rules Withdraw or Modify, _. Read Papers + Object to: Consideration of Question Raise a Point of Orde: ‘Raise a Parliamentary Inquiry Raise-a Point of Information .. Appeal from the Decision of thie Chair Divide the Assembly Divide the Question Motions Relating te Nominations... Motions Relating to Voring 141 148 153 159 _ 165 167 171 174 180 183. 186 189 193 196 203 205 208 210 212 216 218Introduction.Introduction “Tlylasoes Nature and importance . “ = Its origin has sémehow escaped us; but the stdryistéld. about #young congressman who, unskilled in “the'ways'of “pailiainentary procedure but tiorietheléss eager‘to prove his worth as'alawraker, asked the Ssecretaryofthe Hovsewhathe: ‘was to do OF say at the meetirigs of the-aisembly Aninoyed:by_ similar questions from otherequallyirlexperienced members, thesecremry reportedly told him, “Just go ahead and say what The, exaggeration, of this littl naivete of the young legislator and in the brusqueness.of an: irked secretary; yet from. this short-tale we are able to draw. some lessons about the:subject of parliamentary Jaw-and its, relative importance in the'scheme of cur social relations... working knowledge of parliamentary rocedure ifoneis: take'an active and responsible part in"Yo Will be ruled out of order” demoristrates the discipline that _-Characterizes parliamentary law. ~ =. The exceedingly simipie instruction of the secretary to. .- the young legislator also illustrates oneof the importantaims _ Of parliamentary rules, which is to simplify and systematize the conduct of business to enable the assembly to make fast =¢ 4eEhenotionisalsowreng thatknowledge ofparliamentary Procedure isimportantonly to politicians, jurists, and lawyers, r to debaters. and orators. Parliamentary law is designed for . all peopletovhelp them-in: réconciling their views“and in aFriving'at clear solutions tothe many.complex problems that ariséin their social life. Asan'American jurist once said about iamentary-law, /*Free people. will do Well: to learn its clemenits gith their alphabets and use them in every policy. i up — from a troop of Scouts to the Parliament of tay years ago. THe iy smenind igo. Tr te thi efficiently atid handle’ thiwhat: we felt-to-be 2-tendency to emphi rather than to disentagle the techmicalitics of parliamentary rules. Tosélve the problem, we prepared an outline based on,thesame book, but very much simplified 5 in, form and. sabstance to suit the needs of the students without, however, sacrificing those fundamental points which are essential for, -thecomprehensive understanding. of thé course.. Careful work at modification and enlargement overa period ofnine yearssaw the transformation fraternaliodge, awomen’ an ore association, sspciety of professionals sci den, orany civic, business,are basically similar to those found in thé Works ‘oF forcign authors, efforts have been exerted to adapt them as closelyas Bossble to the Rules of the House of Represent -Therequirthncntsoflocalorgantaionsand wii s_that oft in their deli perauons a nistanice, questions, Tike walkouts from meetings, illegal adjournments, aiid as‘ts wheth, bi If for office, which paisible: We feel we have succeeded inthis Sbjéctive, biltnici quite completely, because there are some niles which bytheir nature are too involved and unyielding to sinriplificatic: By aswe would. :PARLIAMENTARY RULES subject of motions ’ d thé stages of bers and the organization in é activities: These forms arebyno metniioleaie "Parliamentary practice coursés are now aregular partof jes in the EeThe number of unitsrequired for parliamentary practice varies in most schools, but a six-unit course, divided into two parts of three units cach, should prove adequate cnough for the purpose. The first part should be devoted exclusively to theoretical studies toinculcaté in the student the basic philosophy ofeach rule to enable Him to reason out logically any parlia~ mentary problem fromhisknowledge of fundamental principles. Preliminary, Tessonis, like the meaning of parliainien tary termis «ind tie fundamental principles of parlidmentary pio ~ceduiré} should. be well emphasized as they are Basically - important to'a proper understanding of the subject: From here, the instruction may proceed to the more deiailed afd specific aspects of the course, in the order the lessons are progressively arranged in this Book.” : The second-half'6f the'course-should be-for actual practiceiin the application of the rules: For thispurposéythe class, depending upon its'size; may be organized into either a Junior Senate or a Junior House ‘of Representatives: With’: the exception of some inapplicable rules, thé lass may then, furiction like either chamber of Gongress, complete with= officers, committees, and rules oforder. Individual members may be required to deliver speeches an tointroduce billsfor_ the consideration of the 2ssemblyin accordance with legislative Processes. Another method would be to divide the class into wo -Groups, say, the Nacionalisias and the Liberals, to engage in parliamentary contests in which one group will be given 4 time limit within which to push through a motion while the other would try to oppose it by' applying every pertinent - parliamentary device. Still another method is for the clas to assume itself. to be some kind of| ‘p¥ofessional, business, civic, orsocial club to transact business peculiar toeach organization. This can prove quite interesting and, through their make-me extent, fill the-need-of adopting in our. t_of parliamentary mules:suited to. Jocal ms’ applications: ales %PART ONE Preliminary Information~~ aad other precedent ernterestin ee of Parliament. ‘eferstothat body ofgeneral rules, precedents, and practices commonly, employed.to, regulate the proceedings. of deliberative assemblies, hence, the term parliamentary pr cedure. early English Parliament from which ittakes irs name. While history does not record with certainty the actual aaah procedure have been from English common law; and, characteristically; arenot any established Jaw butaremerely: dependentupondecisions of thie Ghair, reportsofpanliamentarydebates,judicialrulings;:jonally regarded commonlawas onduct and have-esteemed itas . + gir birthright. And:so, when the English colonies in the New World renounced their allegiance to the Crown, they “addpted common law as their fundamental jurisprudence, ~ including the English parliamentaryusages which have since become the foundation of the rules ofthe Congress of the United States of America as well as those:of its various state ‘egislatures. ~" is ‘While the eaid American congiésses bor eX many of cir legislative practices trom the’ ! English Parliament, they, --- wever; improved ori some of the rulesand introduced new ‘ones to meet their growing requirements, until there was evolved adistinct American system of parliamentary procedure. . Today, parliamentary law in the United States emanates _from foursources: the Constitution of the United States, theOng aE TRL Iz rules the Philippine Senate the which, in tum, were adapted from the practices of the erstwhile Philippine Assembly. In cases where local rules aré silent or found inadequate, the rules of the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, and Jefferson's Manualare used in a ppletory character! . £ Common Parliathentary Procedure _o-~The term applied to the common practice of conducting business iri assemblies’ which, though not legislative, are deliberative in character. ¢ procedural rul seccen lie Se uninly Ueell of lees of common deliberative bodies which may inclu le lit mal, business, These rules of comimon parliamentary procedur been aoe in the ecly iuoughtnectin’ years ofexpe- ~ARLIAMENTARY PRC i i # {parliamentary proce- ¢ will of the majori te sand détide questions, yes, that attach to his membership in the > Phe rights.conférred upon @ meinber, however, are not absolisteiAmember'stight to speak before the assembly, for + instanceymay.be restricted or evenden! vhenheisruled . put of order or when!cme ep or he may be subjected to some disciplinary action for indecorum oF for any actuation that may offend the dignity of the organization. , - Just asimportant as the equality ofrightsis:the equality of obligations. While the payment of dues is about the only " obligation of members in most organizations, in some they are required to atténd.acertain number of meetings during the year, and in’othersitis obligatory to hold officeor to’serve on some-board or committee. In any case; no unreasonable discriftination is made among the membersin theimposition’ of obligations. 2. Majority rile is an essence of democracy. In a deliberative assembly, the majority hasthe rightto decide the action of the entire organization and the attending power to have itsdecision cartied outand respected by every member including those'who may have voted with: the opposition: Theterm mnirlypriailymeana tat ofatleastone ‘certain number-: In'some cases;however, to tain a majority, bigger ‘proportion isrequired. ~~: 3. plementary to the doctrine of majority rule is the principle requiring the protection « ofthe interest of the minority: Under thisprincsie, the minority has the right, among others, to speak and be heard onany) measure broughtbefore the assembly, aswell asck A giiestion at ‘aby the ¢ is\principle means that . & only onicroubject anust be:brought before'the assembly:ata © timepthe-reason: for; this.is. obyious..,Ohe-of the pringipal furictions.of parliamentary:procedure, ;.~togmaintain. order ‘anddecorum duringideliberations;andinothing.defeats:this _ 2 puspose-more than-the confusion thatis likely tovarise when E 4 twoormoré differentsubjectsor propositionsare simult prought before die. assembly, Besides, with.the=pdssible exception of afew, people cannot intelligently consider two on morewunrelated subjectsiat oneltime,,di It as.it is to“ satanyone - thoughseveral be applied toitduring its deliberation co nsistent of;sprécedenceibEmibtion: : findséxpressionirino less ines which proyidesthat A sme Se. Hetil imblies, all question’, with th: ,areentiled ty a fulland free debat EDS wy 20) Indeli by snot Sit, it. -Inkeeping with the function ofparliamentary procedure to expedite the transaction. of business, there are, however, certain rules which, in ¢ffect, Work.as, curtailment of the freedom of debate, but these are simply méasurés designed for the general interest of the assembly. 6. Bua) Motion Nnistbe Vela UBOR. With the exception of a few, all ns-brought before the assembly should be voted upon for their proper disposition: Amotion or question may be disposed of tempo permanenuy, affirmatively or negatively, but, in any case, it should be putto avote because it is only through ihigpreee that the true will of the assembly: can be determined. ; There are, however, certain parliamentary prt ie that are classified as motions but which, by their nature, do : notrequire any vote because they may be-disposed of by the , Chair, as when a membe: apoint of order, point of - wee membér is an” t ofan organization; each one plays'a significant rolein the collective efforts of the entire group. Butas such, :d to that of the organization. Amemiber may havé his own ideas of how things should be done: this, he may pursue with all the witand energy hecan : muster, buthe should not carry it to a point that will tend tp | disrupt the proceedings. For if every member were to insist | on his own personal ideas and wishes, and in opposing the Views and desires of others, the resulting lack of harmony r | .-! “would seriously hamper the ability of the organization to <” tfandact business and may even cause its dissolution. Every individual member; therefore, Should strive i effect teamwork with the other members. In other words, his "personality and desi s Should be’ mergedinto the interest oFdiscretion, and tact. - witout offending °F upsetting other pul verameetng is notas easy.as it may seem. The task involves eat responsibilities and requires not only parliamentary Skill butalso the delicate exercise of sound personal judgment, _ Aside fora his duty of steering the meeting to the ac- complishment of its objectives, the presiding officer is often called upon to actias moderator in heated debates in which | - jpersonalities and opinions oftentimes clash. a ~' Because ofthe delicate position he isin, the presiding officer should at all times be impaitial in the exercise of his office aind in his dealings with partisan groupsofthe organization: He should not take sides in a debate, and should volunteerin- formation oradvance his personal opinion only when necessary. Asamember of the organization, he isentitled to participate 4n the deliberation of any question before the assembly, but this he should do only from the floor after surrendering the Chair temporarily to some other member. "These principles are universal. Assemblies convene ith theimplied undérstanding that their proceedings will be conducted in accordance with these fundamental rules.wy Om peaPe sapoully- een eae PART TWO Parliamentary : ProcedureMEETINGS-AND SESSIONS In parliamentary practice, the term/meeling denotes a gathering or assembly of the members ofan organization for anylength oftime duringwhich thereis unbroken deliberation except, perhaps, for occasional and brief periods 9 of recess. Aternporary adjournment, such as, assembly. may have two meetings or more ina single day, ¢.g- the morning meeting held, say, from 8:00 a.m.to12:00n0on, and the afternoon mee ting held for 2:00pm. to5:00 pam. of the same day. and to,. anylenath of time. When.an. ‘hour or so;and: adjourns. thout specifying astowhen i ‘shall meet again, it is said to have held a session; in this respect, _mecting and session have a common signification . assembly holds bw : more: emectings | a. day; or a sezies of“field constitute a single session.» Inthe case of ‘organizations which meet; say, once or \wek - twice a month, each meeting comprises asession. This term “hajenn = 8 _also applies:to the aggregate of meetings of a convention acertainday or . < Le stage: or \ORECON- FAjourmmeny! ear ion’ is made for yening of thé assembly. However, .~ future nieeting” ina motion to adjourn;, or in.a motion , J 4 > adopting aprogram forascries ofmeétings, ‘Sibysome'other | * agreement previously adopted, ani adjournment does not ly ware se re ade butt the wi oorte a 2 yee — h ‘Philippines | which adjourns after its yearly session of one fy i hundred-day To avoid a confusion, however, meciing id sésstonvare 3 Tea 8 in this book to mean ‘as followsjangs and’ Sessions” |. . 0 gindrof Meetings . fa " Meetings are of three different kinds: jagular, special, Loawention and adja . ee wine one onewhichis hela atthe timeprovidea arr eacon gor in the constitug©n or by-laws of the organization. The +Gessio" embers are'p! ed to know the regular meeting days and are usually not served with notices to the effect. Ave fhe order of business in regular meetings is, as'a rule, ~Ae 2100 OF prescribedin the constitution or by-laws of the organization; = dese sto snally consists of the reading and approyal of the mimutes ;,,ofthe previous meeting, reports of committees, consideration fare meeSe\ einfinished and new business, and @journment, inthat _ okt 8 order... 381 te ; ae = Wor close ——— fa : 5: a SRE 25 SE “© Gis bythe head of the organization, i Ned “equa certain number of the members, depending upon the rules (whether regular. or speci D ‘oss leftpending when thé criginalmeeting wasadjourned™ Simaybe t#ken up. An adjourned meeting may be held-at any, time, provided:itisnot beyond that fixed for the nextregular2h edna convention; the quorum feuqually abare majority oF dhe delegates who are duly: fegistered- ~ In mass mectings, or in the case of an ‘organization whichis stillin the process offormation, aquorumisconstituted by any number of pers g the g, provided it has been properly callege The same thing =e the case ofan organization which meéts only occasionally and whefe membership i$ for life, asin religiousand con fraternal societies. “Unless otherwise provided for in the constitution or by- Jaws of the organization, aquorum in.a committee is formed by a majority of its members. In computing a quorim,,the number of members nec- essary for the purpose shouldbe based on orineumbents, and this must be :whoare not incapacitated to'discharge s by reason, -of death; incapacity, or absence from the jurisdiction of the organization, or for other causes which make attendance of attendance the ae concerned & ‘imy sible even throu; th coercive process? Common ‘parliamentary law also provides thai com- ~ puting a quornm, Sulyamemibers in good standing should be ae ‘This, however; is subject to the rules of the organi- Zation itself, particularly-on the-matter of ‘delinquencyof membérs. Some organizations require’a forinal acttodropa delinquent member from its rolls, while others provide for. automatic canéellation-of membership,on thetbasis ofsome “actor Omission coiistituting uting delinquéney:>" jtisalso arule in common parliamentarylaw, backed by -. court decisions, that thie. quorum of an assembly. consists.of and: jot the-number OFB28 § __ rhe foldwingexainple illustrates the computation of a _ quorum based on the simple majority rule and by applying “the foregoing Principles . ‘Total meabership sn Reo in oe rol ih 200 cminus cin ae fibers, 5 * Memibers in good standing 195 minus members abroad. (beyond jurisdiction) and/or ingapacitated ” . 3 \. Badis for computing - (divided by two: plus ane) - i Quorum required ne a7 g quorum , 2,192 pin aquorum of 97, only 40 voted: 25in favorand 15 against, the voté is valid-and the question-is carried:.by a simple thajority 6f the legal-votes cast.’ (See Voles and Vating)--:. ;., Im determining the existence of a quorum, the Chair cannot be governed exclusively by the'roll call. .It can take into account the circumstances of each case and take noté-of © € presence of other membeis who have not answered the roll call.?° _Itisalsotherule thatamemberwhois disqualified froin 4 gin the deliberations ofa particular question for__ . : -PARLIAMENTARY RULES ~.y) Whenia quorum! ‘has been duly Zondtinited but agroup thereof refuses or neglects tomeet with the others, amajority of those present may transact business. However, jf the bigget number withdraws so.a8 to leave‘no quorum, the minority is, in general; considered powerless to acti ‘Whereaiession oramectinghas been regularly convened but later on illegally adjourned, or where a minority of the -~members present voluntarily abandoned the meeting, any group, provided it consists ofa majority of tie members, may continue the same session, it being a tacit continuation — a simple prolongation — of the session which had been formerly declared open with a quorum. ‘When the minutés-show that a quorum existed ata certain time during the meeting, and the same record fails to. show that an adjournment or recess was declared thereafter, itshall be presumed thata quorum continued to exist.°This presumption, however, does not hold if at a time a vote is taken the roll call shows that less than a quorum yoted.)7 Any member who at apt aE: vier agiorm ae ‘This request may be'made, and is “in order, atany time provided no one ‘has thé floor. This is done by rising and aes -¢ existence-of 2 quorum fo ) and.théChairisempoweredORDER OF BUSINESS Meaning and Pattern . is'a. program or outline of the things: to be ‘That portion of the order that lists.the spe! of business is better known as the agenda. * \ Itis usual for every organization to provide in itsby-laws orotherrules the order of business which is customarily of the , following pattern:A meeting is called to order-by the presiding officer who, after rapping fhe gavel cee or z The twenty-first annual converition of the Philippine ‘Association is iow convened. ‘The invocation: or: OBERINEIPRAVER sets a solemn yet cordial tone for the meeting. In conventions and similar con- ferences, it is customarily said by a priést or minister’ In ordinary meetings, any member of the organization may be Grsignated to deliver itsAl thustrise dui ing th the} : Invocation, Thecalling ofthe roll; oa with the meimbers answering: or eir respective names are.called. =e Theinvocation and the roll call, however-are optional itemsinthe order ofbusiness joragend, and maybe dispensed : . with. : ectssary, aiid disposed of by a majority yote in al the followitig manner:. Upon direction of the presiding. f officer, thesecretary reads the minutesofthe previous meeting ularand special: meetings After, the minutesIf no corrections are offered, he states, If corrections are proposed, the presiding officer directs the sécretaryto note'thém down, and then puts them toavote. If any objectiorismade toany proposed correction, the presiding = officer thay do either of two things: e. To save time, itis advisable for the Chair té have the minutes, including’ the corrections, approved: by general * consent, unless a formal vote is néceséary. ~~ fet rs After thereading of the minutes of the previousmee ting or mectings; the presiding officer calls upon each standing i the order itis listed in the by-laws of the organi- zation, to render whatever report it may be reddy. to make. re those + which are called upon in the order of their creation Committee reports are réni 1 information of the members 6n iiiatters of generalifiterestor for’any action they may desire to take thereon. ‘Ther ‘either by the respect Litt y. committee member desi r thiwrit A meeting is called to order by the presiding officer who, after rapping the gavel, announces: - ~ or - The twenty-first annual convention of the Philippine Medical % a . “Association: senow-couivetied: The invocation or sets a solemn yet cordial tone for the meeting. In conventions and similar con- ferences, it is customarily said by a pri¢st or minister’ In ordinary mectings, any member of the organization may be designated to deliver it. the abusive member out of orderplanatory:remarks‘are necessarjito assist in theorderly and intelligent transaction of businéss,and provided they:arenot carried beyond.reasonable limits, they: should;be, alloted. t ils only, this being necessary, -the: members :to; Vote! on. the: question: intelligen. example; atotion:to: ‘postpone. definitely: may requiresome: discussion with'réspect-to the.date:to-which.the question: is! sonight to:be: postponed:.’Fhe debate: in.this case; howevers: e “shouldbelimited onlyto that particular detailand shout riot! ten i ion.-:¢ : oper disposition oA. ‘motion offers the bestéxample.ofamotionallowing ful debate. There are fveothatmatgnt which allowefull debat ction See Fokppeak Sec: 2, Reba Seci15,-To Recontider; andSee:17,'To Rescind) :PARLIAMENTARY RULES The'rile of relevancy'also requires:the discussion to be to thicimmediate pending question. Thus;ifthe ques- _ Gorspeitding’on the'table'areamain motion, an amendnient, and an'amendmént to the amendment, the discussion must béréstricted:tothe amendmentof thesecondrankwhich, in this.cise; is:the imsnediate pending question; as'soon as this dof the-discussion shifts.to the amendment of the ntythemeniweF themai propositionmay irbut tony: tosuchextentasimay be necessary. Sieagecne cher ‘thie Tatter’é-Views aré ini agreement or ae conirary to hisownsHe showldneverinquireinto the motives ofany member in relation.to any.question before the assembly ; although he-rhay condemn: the nature /or- effects: ofthe question itself} it is not: the: ‘marr but. the: question that is at tHe otganizatiol, by thicieres ie ites. Ifrefer> . le:to anotherimémber;.the speaker: should; ec sponsor of-the in, fertile gentlemay who! preceded ae ‘OF by some appropriate.déscripion::. fheDebates . 39 ~ speaker commits any —botaeiecbitesit A itis the duty of the Chair to call him to order."If thé Chair fails to-do this, any member may rise on a: point of order,‘and the assembly; if appealed to, shall decide on the case without debate: ‘If the decision isin favor.of the membercalled:to order;he shall be at liberty to proceed b but not otherwise!” (See Sec. 24, Point of Order and Sec. 2h “To Appeal.) . ree bee Thie Chair and the assembly have their corresponding obligations to the speaker — the Chair to maintain order and | decorum during the debate, and the as seem to hear and “Tends aker....During the debate, or while any. member is speaking, noon silowedita raigharauid.she hall or pass. sebervscn. the Chair cat . In the course,of a debate, some'member may. ask +> questions of the speaker to clarify certain peintsinhisspeech. Any memberwho desires to do this should rise and, without in any of these cases, the Pepe acif the Chair istiirough” Ifthe to crdorforimproperwordnafecing anothttwwolvedi (thé:Speaker and:themember réferfed:to), the-presidingio Sif Hé:isone.of them, must be ve : 2 been: resdlved byDebates - al~ Itisalso the rule in debate thatamember can on¢gon aparticularquestian until the othershave been given: | achance todo so after which any one may be allowed to speak, asecond or more time. The €<éptom to this rule is the Proposer of amotion who is allowed to open and to close the debate, ifhe chooses, pfovided he hasnotconsumed the ime alloted him. Accordingly, in the discussion of a question where the debate is limited to say, three speai at twenty minfates cach, the proposer ofthe measure may use the firs ~--"++’6F main speech, and the remaining ten or five minutes for rebuttal or for closing the debate after the five otherspeakers _ hhave had. their hirn on the floor.Grass “ones Wews, fo rages? fo ap) gg soiek veut, fo geet eel gaitue “VOTES-AND: VOTING . ee the assenibly, can rds ‘properly: aispored of on the imembers..-- _Ttiscustoman é tor cfg ations to. provi in in theirs con- : “also the ¢ ‘understandings and unnecessary spear nets . . An dglib: tive assemblies, there are: ioe ajority of the legal votess. Nien = 90) woe rity of the total votes cast. He * ty, of them Re PCs, Majority ofall J Sree. the total votes cast. *gardl Unless the rules Sf theisrg Provides for this metho iv] members voted: specifically “Used because it honesty. When the is type of majorityis abe tually present @ question does-not affect thé“humber required forits approval. °Voles and’ Voting” absences because, according to a recent decision of our’Su- preme Court, a majority ofthe entire membership should be computed on the basis of actual membership which islimited only to the members. _ entirely upon the will of the organization, and it may range. ~ from one-third or one-fourth to 2s much. as two-thirds ororprg tl carry a pidpostion unless. ete Fulés*of the otganization so :provide. « . : The followinigexample shows how plirrality vote is de- ates * 26'votes 25 votes.we ON 1.__When’the vote is, say, 12 to sulting in theloss i in the a wns of the @okion) he may vote wut not in, [5 re ng ngGiGiop he ay ote aetna ot ‘2. When the vote is 13 for the affirmative and 12 for 12. @ wst 13 fegeal- 4. In case of an appeal from the decision’ of dove. 4 suitcta Chai, he can vote in the affirmative to create-a tie and thus sustain his own decision. "~~ 7 SSSR ATT 27. Votes. arid’ Voting. *. ... 47 Breaking and Creating a Tie ‘The presiding effieer, if he isa membér of the assembly and hasnotyetvoted on a particular question, may, ofhis own will, cast his vote in order to break or create,a tie as in the , following cases: the negative, he may vote in the negative to create atic to defeat the motion. 3. Where a percentage vote is necessary, say, two". thirds, He may vote with the minority if it would prev adoption of the motion, or he may vote with the majorii would cause its adoption. 7 Thepresianng SRS Saver aparticulz question, so that if he has already voted to create a tic; “he * cannotvote'a second time to breakit; oF” a. TEs ot > amember of the assembly, he carinot vot unless allowed by the rules of thé organization, Unahimous Vi GB og wr legal verte 0 Mega: voter SAK" Unk woo ¢! * 5 If the total votés cast, for example, is 75, three:o declared null and-void, and the remaini val fast in favor of.a. candidate or a propos 7. Eng m3unanimous because illegal votesiér-blank-ballots arenot counted as part of the total votes cast. ‘When ssuccessful candidate or proposition receives a vote’ other ‘than:a:unanimous-one; the same may be made unanimous either through general conseptoraforsaimation. Hworey. This, however, can be done only when the voting is not by ballotaiad provided thiat, in'a proper tase, thé'mstion must be approved-without‘a:single opposition, otherwise it shall be declared lost in the same manner that'a lone objection defeats a request for general consént. . : egal Vat Voit aid Blank Ballots" “In any form of voting, a vote cast for an ineligible_can. ineligible member, or Which, for any like : Cannot be Counted, is an ile; egal vote, and 2s such, is a Oieonsdered in detérmining the num ber oflegal votes cast. uration for dete: she comn chat when two or more ballots are folded * eis abo the mle hould wever, although they cannotbe counted may be inchided in," wchea tn AoW) valle’ \ ‘Nlega be4g >? 3A.question may be voted on immediately afteritisstated by the. Chair or as soon as debate or discussion on itis closed, depending upon its debatability; Ifthe motions undebatable,: the Chair takes avote on itimmediately; butif itis debatable, itis not put to avote until after sufficient time hasbeen given . foradebate or discussion on the question.-In either case, the Chair, before taking the vote, should ask the members, If the method of yotin allgd upon alternately tosig should be taken ahead of the negative, and even ifi nonetheless. cots Soo TSS Magpeas Mak a fiver yrevadls To avoid misunderstandi wand consequentdisruption : of the proceedings, the presiding officer, before taking the ; joté, shouldmake sure thatthe members understandcomecty i wharthey=evoting on. So that, umies: the motion bas bean: : j verp recently, he should Tepestit as in the following : examples: eesare “Resblvedy hota specal commtee 2 Ee bg five be “appointed by the Chair to:investigate te ° : inst Mr. Santos, and that said commiticebe instriicted 10 | : “°° The Chair will now take the vote on the questions, i fi : | | . aioe endings and recommendationsatthenextmecting: 5 Snal deeision by she'inemby. AreyouPARLIAMENTARY RULES. , When the vote is being taken, the members should -refrain from talking to one another or. from_s or walking around the hallto insure accuracyin thedetermination or counting of the votes. Methods of Voting There are several m semblies, n: by voi. Show ofhanakocingh roll call YgeneraD amely( fb ballo) Other forms, butofa different classification, are absentee and cumulative voting. , eHfiaene - Gy Voice) Voice vote or viva voceis te most expeditious. method of voting and is generally used except where amore accurate count of the votes is called for. When taking a voice vote, the presiding officer states, . As many as aze in favor of the motion, sey “Aye” (Pro- nounced “T7) .... Those against, say “No.” : ‘A voice vote is practical for questions requiring only 2 majority vote and in But if the question is one thatrequires an. actual oramore accurate count, orwhen -ahe assembly is a small one, a different method should be employed. : : > This method of voting consists of the raising ofthe right and, first, by the members voting in favor of the question, then by those voting againstit. The presiding officer puts the questions as follows: “3 Those in favor of the motion, -pleast raise their right hands... Hands down, Those against, please do the same - _Hands down. Rising. Like the voting by show ofhands, arising volte is taken when an actual or amore accurat< countof thie voiesSS Votes and Voting 51 is required. When taking the vote by this method, the presiding officer says, Those in favor of the motion, please rise. ... Be seated «++ Those against, please do the same... Be seated. In order to insure an accurate count of the votes, the members voting should stand properly and should remain in that position until asked to sit down. | ByGoll Cal) Vote by roll call is also known as voting by | Yeas and Nays or Ayes and Nogs. This method is employed yee “ Chiefly in organizaiions whose memb ¢ responsible to some other organizations or groups of people as in the case of the Congress of the Philippines where the members are responsible to their respective constituents. The same is true inthe case of conventionswhere the delegatesare responsible to their corresponding organizations. It can be seen that the : TPdsE OF the roll call vote is to record how each member Votes on a question for the benefit of these to whom he is answerable. | Unless provided for in the by-laws or sules of the organi- zation, avote by roll cgi can only be ordered byamajorityvote of the assembly without debate. The manner of petting the question under this method is as follows: ‘Those in favor of the question before the assembly will, ».ag their names are called, please say Aye; those against, please say No. Thé secretary will now-call,the roll, ee The names of the members are then called in alphabet}, order, except that of the presidin, r, i€he isamember of the organization, whichis called jast; or by the districts or ‘areas they represent; or by some other arrangement. Any member, who does not wish to vote one way or the other should answer “Present” or “Abstain.” The secretary then: _Sumsup the vote on: zach side and then hands the record cours we gece? Joes “Officer aC atinomce’) .sheet tothe presidi cer who proceeds to announce the ' result of the voting. The resultis entered in the minutes of the meeting, while the tellers’ tally shect is kept on file as part of the records of the elections. ’ BrGeneral Gmseap ‘The term general consent connotes unanimity of opinion. Through this method, questions are decided with out the formality of actually taking the vote. Ob- viously, this is an expeditious method of deciding questions butthisisused onlyin the disposition of routine business and no-controyersial issues. ~ Voting by general consent may be adopted under two general circumstances. One involves a situation where the Chair, withoutwaiting fora motion, may dispose ofa business by assuming his action to be acceptable to all members. Ifthe program of business for the day, for example, contains many * important and urgent matters, the presiding officer may take the initiative of postponing the reading of the zhinutes thus: Iithereisno dbjection, wewill postpone the reading of the minures of the previous meeting. ‘The other concerns a situation where a motion appears to be generally favored and the Chair feels certain abeut its_ac- ceptability to the members,. For example, if during the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting, ‘a member moves to make a minor correction, the Chair, instead of. stating the motion formally, may just say, If there is no objection to the motion, it is carried by general consent. . : Ifany objection is raised in cither of the two cases described, the method of general consent should be disregarded, and -the Chair must state the question and put it to avote in the\ Votes and Voting . 53 regular manner. The objection may be raised even after the Chairhas announced the disposition of aquestion by general consent but not after another business has intervened. 224 By(Galloty The principal purpose of this method of voting is secrecy. It is commonly used in the election of candidates’ to office and in deciding certain quéstions in which some merfibers maynotwish toreveal theirsentiments. Where the by-laws or standing rules of the organization fail to provide for this method of voting, it may be ordered by general consentor bya majority vote through amotion which should be decided without debate if made while an election is pending. (Sée Sec. $1, Motions Relating to Voting.) . When voting is by ballot, no motion which would serve 2 one to defeat its object of se be-entertained. Thus, itis eut_of order to move that a vote received by a-winning candidate be made unanimous because any member who votes against the motion willbe forced toreveal thathe voted against the candidate concerned, afactwhich can belogically inferred from his mere opposition to the motion. The exception to thisiswhen the motion tomakeavote unanimous is made by the losing candidate himself or by some inown friend or sympathizer of the defeated candidcr= Tv facilitate this method of voting, the Chaip usually ay ints a committee of tellers, composed of at least three a embers, fo conduct the balloting which includes the distri bution and collection of ballots and the counting of the votes. ~ Watchers may-also be appointed if the balloting is for the election of officers. . _ If the assembly is voting in an election, the Chairshould make sure that the names of all candidates are written out completely and.correctly cither on the ballot itself or on a blackboard visible to all: Likewise, if the assembly isvoting on some proposition the same should beconspicuously published. _