INCOMING Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez urged his fellow lawmakers on Tuesday to do away with the flashy attire and stick to appropriate business attire on July 25 when President-elect Rodrigo Duterte delivers his first State of the Nation Address.
“Business attire for members of the House during President Duterte’s Sona would suffice,” Alvarez told The Standard in a text message. “We are not attending a party anyway.”
Alvarez, who is expected to be elected speaker when the House of Representatives convenes next month, said lawmakers would be well-advised to show their support for “change” by avoiding flashy attire during the opening of the 17th Congress.
“I don’t think it is appropriate for public officials to [ostentatiously] display wealth in the midst of poverty, while our people are suffering from poverty,” said Alvarez, who admitted he is also partial to simple attire.
Besides, Alvarez said said, wearing extravagant expensive designer clothes in public functions, like the opening of Congress, is prohibited by the Civil Code of the Philippines.
He cited Chapter 2 (Human Relations), Article 25 of the Civil Code of the Philippines, which states that: “Thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display during a period of acute public want or emergency may be stopped by order of the courts at the instance of any government or private charitable institution.”
He also reminded lawmakers that Duterte espouses simple living among public officials and is more concerned with substantive change that the president-elect promised during the campaign period.
Alvarez, who had earlier served as Davao del Norte congressman from 1998 to 2001 and later as transportation secretary, is acknowledged to be elected speaker after forging a three-party alliance against the Liberal Party which retains 30 percent of the House.
But Alvarez said he would get more than 150 votes from his colleagues to make him the chamber’s leader, while reducing the minority bloc to “bite-size” of just about 20 or 30 lawmakers.
Alvarez managed to form an alliance with the Nacionalista Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition and the National Unity Party, to be called “coalition for change,” to help push Duterte’s legislative agenda.
