Congress will resume its last working session starting Monday only to usher in the election season.

Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. told the Philippine Daily Inquirer over the weekend that the administration-backed drive to change the Constitution through 'whatever mode' was practically dead, and that the month-long sessions would be primarily devoted to pending priority measures, particularly those stranded in the Senate.

With barely a month before the candidates for senator start campaigning, House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles of Davao City and Representatives Antonio Cuenco of Cebu City and Exequiel Javier of Antique admitted that there was not much to do in the area of legislation.

'Do not expect anything from the House in the last sessions. It's just the budget approval [ratification once approved in the bicameral conference committee] plus local bills' approval,' said Nograles in a phone interview.

Nograles said all 'important certified bills' were already in the Senate.

'We are awaiting bicameral conference committee meetings and approve vital measures like the anti-terror bill, Marcos wealth compensation bill, tax amnesty bill, housing loan condonation bill,' he said.

Cuenco and Javier even blamed the opposition which, they said, were already engrossed with the upcoming elections.

'Let's set aside first politics and prioritize our legislative duties. We need to pass the 2007 General Appropriations Act to prevent another reenactment of the 2005 budget for this entire year,' he said.

He said the Speaker had assured the ratification of the budget by Feb. 10, 'so let's do our share to fulfill this commitment to the people.'

Cuenco said both chambers still had the time to pass remaining vital measures.

'We can pass these measures as long as we remain focused on legislation rather on the elections. Let's demonstrate statesmanship by acting on these measures which will all redound to the benefit of the nation and the people,' he said.

De Venecia said that the House would devote its plenary time, besides the usual privilege speeches, to his pet bill -- the proposed Political Reform Act which will ban turncoatism and provide subsidy to political parties.

After declaring in a forum this week that Charter change should give way to the 2007 polls, the Speaker sought an overhaul of the system governing political parties to reduce corruption.

The Speaker said he had assigned the 'highest political priority' to the passage of the long delayed Political Party Reform Act before the adjournment of sessions next month to 'strengthen political parties and reduce the corrupting influence of narco-politics and money politics.'

If approved next month, the proposed act could take effect in time for the midterm elections in May, said De Venecia, the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party national president.

The proposed measure, he said, would ban and penalize turncoatism and create a P500-million state fund as am 'experimental subsidy' to political parties.

De Venecia said that the proposed act had bipartisan support, and that the House could start plenary deliberation as early as Tuesday to consider Committee Report No. 2024 earlier approved by the House committee on suffrage and electoral reform.

Senator Edgardo Angara, principal author of a counterpart measure in the Senate, would expedite deliberations on bill, the Speaker added.