ANTONIO P. CONTRERAS
IT is supposed to be an august body, and we accord its members the honorific title of “Honorable.” In a bicameral legislature, we occasionally label the Senate as the “upper house” relative to a “lower house,” which we use to refer to the House of Representatives. Its members have national constituencies since they are elected by all voters of the Republic. Traditionally, it functions to distill, fine-tune and broaden the relatively parochial concerns of the members of the House. Its halls have produced the brightest and sharpest minds in our political history.