Even before the 17th Congress had to officially convene and before President Duterte can deliver his first State of the Nation Address on July 25, Rep. Pantaleon D. Alvarez of Davao del Norte was chosen by his fellow lawmakers as the new speaker of the House of Representatives. In fact, Alvarez, who is said to enjoy the full trust and confidence of President Duterte, was already hard at work.
In June Alvarez prepared two bills to amend certain laws—one seeking to reimpose the death penalty for heinous crimes, the other to amend the so-called Pangilinan law.
Explaining the rationale for the bilI, Alvarez said: “The imposition of the death penalty for heinous crimes and the mode of its implementation, both subjects of repealed laws, are crucial components of an effective dispensation of both reformative and retributive justice. There is evidently a need to reinvigorate the war against criminality by revising a deterrent coupled by its consistent, persistent and determined implementation.”
Alvarez is also the coauthor of another proposed bill seeking to amend Republic Act (RA) 9344, or the Juvenile Delinquency Act of 2006, more popularly known as the Pangilinan law. RA 9344 raised the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 9 to 15 years old, but Alvarez along with Rep. Fredenil Castro of Capiz wants to bring it back to 9 years old, as provided for in the Revised Penal Code.
“While the intent of the law may be highly laudable,” the two authors said, it has had the opposite effect of “pampering youthful offenders who commit crimes knowing they can get away with it.”
Moreover, they said, “adult criminals knowingly and purposely make use of youths below 15 years of age to commit crimes, such as drug trafficking, aware that they cannot be held criminally liable.”
Amid calls by some quarters for the two chambers of Congress to conduct a probe of the wave of drug-related killings in the last two months, Alvarez prefers to let the Lower House concentrate on its main task of making laws.
There are more pressing matters that House members should focus on, he says.
For instance, there’s the General Appropriations Act for next year. Since all the government offices will have already prepared their respective budgets for next year, lawmakers will have to go through all these with a fine-toothed comb to determine whether their proposed budgets are realistic and in accordance with their mandates.
Alvarez clarified there will be no restoration of the pork barrel or lump sum allocations for members of Congress. Instead, the legislature will implement line budgeting, where every district can propose projects for funding, such as water systems, hospitals, and so on. The budget to be allocated for projects proposed by congressmen will be equal in amount to be fair to all, he added.
Then there’s the joint resolution by both chambers seeking to create a Constitutional Convention or Con-con that would amend the 1987 Constitution to make it more relevant to changed conditions in the country.
Among the proposed amendments are lifting the cap on foreign investments and thereby opening the economy to more foreign direct investments (FDI) that can create more jobs and reduce poverty incidence among Filipinos.
Another key proposal is to shift to a federal system of government from the current unitary one, which, proponents claim, would lead to greater autonomy for the various regions and faster economic growth.
For Alvarez, if a congressional probe reveals that indeed some of the killings may be instances of summary executions or extrajudicial killings, it can only recommend prosecution by the Department of Justice, which alone can determine probable cause.
Besides, murder is already in the book of statutes and heavily penalized, so what new law or amendment to existing law would be served by a congressional probe in aid of legislation?
The Davao solon said that Congress should leave to government prosecutors and to agencies like the National Bureau of Investigation and the police the task of going after those who may be involved in summary executions.
Alvarez brings to the fourth highest position in government his extensive experience in public office.
This is Alvarez’s second stint in Congress representing the 1st District of Davao del Norte. During his first term as congressman of the same district from May 1998 to January 2001, he was the vice-chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Communications and a member of the following committees: Government Enterprises and Privatization; Government Reorganization; Good Government; Justice; Constitutional Amendments; Civil, Political and Human Rights; National Defense; Ways and Means; and Games and Amusement.
Alvarez also held the position of Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications from January 2001 to July 2002.
Prior to this, Alvarez also served in various capacities at the Manila International Airport Authority. He was Senior Assistant General Manager and COO from March 1995 to September 1997 and Assistant General Manager for Operations from January 1994 to February 1995.
Alvarez began his career in the public service as the Senior Technical Assistant and Liaison Officer for Region XI at the office of Sen. Wigberto E. Tañada in the Senate from 1987 to 1992.
Alvarez was a practicing lawyer from 1984 to 1986. He completed his Bachelor of Laws course at the Ateneo de Manila University in 1983. He graduated from the Far Eastern University in 1978 with an AB Political Science degree.
E-mail: ernhil@yahoo.com.