Senate values quality, not quantity of laws passed: Pimentel

FILE: Pimentel also acknowledged that there are many more bills emanating from the House because local bills originate from the House. (Photo: By Albert Calvelo – Public Relation and Information Bureau (original here), Senate of the Philippines, Public Domain)

MANILA— The Senate values the quality of laws passed more than its quantity, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said Wednesday.

Pimentel made this remark in response to the statement of PDP-Laban partymate House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez who chided the Senate for being “mabagal na kapulungan” (slow congress).

The Senate President said that he has previously responded to Alvarez telling him that the Senate is “nag-aaral na kapulungan” (studying congress).

He urged Alvarez to “change” his mindset and choose “quality not quantity.”

“Let us not judge lawmaking in terms of the 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,” Pimentel said in a text message to reporters.

Pimentel also acknowledged that there are many more bills emanating from the House because local bills originate from the House.

“All bills renaming and or merging schools, increasing hospital beds, etc, must and do come from the House,” Pimentel said.

“But we must all change our mindset – from quantity to quality,” he added.