Pimentel, Alvarez formally take Senate, House leadership as 17th Congress opens

The 17th Congress formally opened yesterday and two prominent lawmakers from Mindanao – Senator Aquilino Pimentel III and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez – formally taking the helm as Senate President and House Speaker respectively to push the legislative agenda of the Duterte administration. Twenty of the 24-member Senate voted for Pimentel of Cagayan de Oro as the 22nd Senate President. His father, Sen. Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. was the Senate’s 18th president. Both are bar topnotchers. He is the first son to repeat his father’s achievement.