Manila - A Philippine congressman said Thursday he has proposed that the plenary hall of the House of Representatives be padlocked during session hours to keep his colleagues from straying.

Congressman Pedro Romualdo made the proposal late Tuesday when he noticed that the number of congressmen dwindled to a few dozen after the roll call at the start of the session.

Romualdo noted that out of more than 200 congressmen, about 180 usually attend the daily sessions but the number usually drops to about 40 in the early evening.

"After calling the roll, for only 30 minutes, many start to disappear," the 72-year-old veteran legislator said.

"We close the door after roll call, lock it, so nobody will get out," Romualdo proposed.

But fellow Congressman Rodolfo Plaza was not keen on Romualdo's proposal because "we might be trapped if a fire breaks out."

Lack of quorum has been a perenial problem in the House of Representatives, hampering the passage of key legislations.

Previous proposals to curb absenteeism, such as imposing fines and publishing the attendance record of the House, have been shot down by congressmen. (dpa)