Pimentel hits back at Alvarez

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III brushed aside continued criticisms from PDP-Laban partymate Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez that the upper chamber had been slow in acting on important pieces of legislation.

Alvarez has repeatedly taunted the Senate, even calling it “mabagal na kapulungan (slow chamber)” for the latter’s reportedly foot dragging on some key legislations.

In a statement the other day, Alvarez said that there was nothing personal about his criticism of the Senate but advised the senators to admit their shortcomings.

Pimentel, president of PDPLaban, snapped back at Alvarez, saying that the Speaker was just upset over the lack of progress in the bills calling for the restoration of the death penalty in the country.

“It’s singular (shortcoming) not plural because the Speaker’s referring to only one measure on which he has become frustrated: the death penalty bill,” Pimentel said.

“Sen. Pacquiao will be handling that bill early this year. Hence, his concern is already addressed,” he added.

The Senate committee on justice and human rights chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon conducted one hearing on the various bills calling for the reinstatement of the death penalty.

Questions about the implication of the restoration of the death penalty on the treaty obligations of the country were raised during the hearing but remain unsettled.

Liberal Party senators are also against the death penalty.

It was not clear what Pimentel meant about Pacquiao’s handling of the bill, but the latter is a member of the committee on justice and human rights and is the author of several bills on the restoration of the death penalty.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, for his part, said that the Senate may be slow as claimed by Alvarez, but stressed “we have no shortcomings.”

Federalism

Meanwhile, House members voiced support for Alvarez’s shifting the campaign for federalism to high gear.

“We support the proposal to shift the nation to the federal system. This will speed up the process of lawmaking and implementation of government programs and projects for the benefit of the Filipino people,” deputy speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu said.

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano lll said governing the country would be faster and more efficient and effective under a federal-parliamentary system.

“It will do away with the gridlock inherent in the presidential form of government,” he said.

Negros Occidental Rep. Albee Benitez said the proposal to have a one-chamber legislature by abolishing the Senate would be good for the country.

“The Senate is a duplication of legislative work, causing delay and wasting resources,” he said.

Benitez said no less than the Speaker himself has complained about the slow process of legislation in the Senate.

Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur and Karlo Nograles of Davao City earlier welcomed the prospect of a federal system replacing the present presidential form of government soon.

“All these positive developments mean that the process to shift to federalism is now in full throttle. Hopefully, federalism will achieve its goal of redistributing wealth to the countryside,” Villafuerte said.

He said Charter change (Cha-cha) should include removing foreign ownership restrictions in various sectors of the economy.

Lifting such restrictions is also the advocacy of several House members, including Feliciano Belmonte Jr. of Quezon City, Albee Benitez of Negros Occidental and Maximo Rodriguez Jr. of Cagayan de Oro City.