Alvarez hopes for ‘more active’ Senate in order to pass more bills

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has expressed hope that the Senate, which he described as “mabagal na kapulungan” (slow congress), would be “more active” so it could pass more bills.

Alvarez, in an interview over ABS-CBN News Channel on Wednesday, noted that the approval of certain measures had been either delayed or have remained pending because of the Senate.

He cited as example the passage of the tax reform measure, which he said was approved early by the House of Representatives, but was delayed in the upper chamber.

The proposed re-imposition of the death penalty, he further said, had already been passed by the House but it remains pending in the Senate.

Asked what the Senate should do for it to become more productive, Alvarez said: “Nasa leadership yun e, ng Senado kaya kelangan medyo maging active lang yung leadership ng Senate para marami silang maipasang panukalang batas.”

Asked again if he thinks the Senate was slow, the Speaker said: “Oo, kaya nga mabagal na kapulungan.”

Alvarez clarified though that it was not Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, who was slow, but the institution as a whole.

He also refused to say if he was satisfied by Pimentel’s performance, but pointed out that Congress should work faster to act on the priority measures of the Duterte administration.               /kga