Alvarez to ‘defensive’ Pimentel: Admit Senate’s shortcomings

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Face the reality and admit the Senate’s shortcomings.

This was the message of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III as he lamented the priority bills passed by the House of Representatives have been lingering in the Senate.

“Alam mo, yung sinasabing ganyan, depensa na lang iyan,” Alvarez said in a statement Thursday.

(You know, what he’s saying, he’s being defensive.)

“Ang tagal-tagal naman ng pag-aaral na iyan, walang mangyayari sa atin kung mag-aaral tayo habang buhay, matatapos na lang yung termino natin nag-aaral pa rin tayo,” he added.

(They have been studying it for a long time, nothing will happen to us if we study for life. Our terms will soon be over yet we’re still studying.)

Pimentel said on Wednesday the Senate focuses more on the quality of measures passed to improve the Filipinos’ standard of living.

“Let us not judge lawmaking in terms of number of laws passed but in terms of how the laws we pass improve the quality of life on earth in general and the quality of life of Filipinos in particular,” he said.

READ: Pimentel urges Alvarez to change mindset: ‘Quality over quantity’

Alvarez earlier called the Senate as the “mabagal na Kapulungan” (slow Congress).

The Speaker said the death penalty bill, one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s priority measures, has been gathering dust in the Senate after it was passed by the House on third and final reading in March last year.

“Hirap na hirap kami dito sa House of Representatives, nag-o-overtime yung mga congressmen para lang maipasa yung isang panukalang batas,” Alvarez said.

(We’ve been working hard and overtime here at the House of Representatives just to pass the proposed measure.)

“Pagdating naman sa Senado sumasabit, nakabinbin doon. Tingnan mo yung death penalty, hanggang ngayon nandoon pa rin, inaamag na ‘yun,” he added.

(When it reaches the Senate, it stalls. Look at the death penalty bill, until now it’s stuck there, gathering mold.)

But despite the criticisms on the Senate’s performance, Alvarez said it was “nothing personal” and he remains friend with Pimentel.

“Magkaibigan kami. Alam mo sa akin kasi, trabaho lang. Ito, lahat ito trabaho lang,” Alvarez said.

(We are friends. You know, it’s just work. All these are just work.)

Alvarez said the slow passage of important legislations could be addressed through a shift to a federal form of government, which Duterte has been pushing for.

“Kapag  ganyan, isulong na natin yung pag-revise ng ating Saligang Batas para mapabilis naman yung ating proseso dito sa ating bansa,” Alvarez said.

(If it’s like that, let’s just revise the Constitution to fast-track the legislative process in the country.) /je