Pro-life solon hits Alvarez for ‘arm-twisting’ death penalty vote
A pro-life solon on Tuesday scored Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez for “arm-twisting” lawmakers into voting for the bill reimposing death penalty on heinous crimes.
In a press conference by the minority bloc on Wednesday, Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza scored the leadership for forcing lawmakers into voting for the death penalty lest they be removed from their committee chairpersonships or deputy speaker posts.
Atienza lauded their minority leader Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez for allowing members of the bloc to vote based on their conscience. Suarez is an author of the death penalty bill.
“The minority has not forced anyone to take his position. As you can see, we’re free to follow our own conscience. It’s a sad day for the 17th Congress if Speaker Alvarez is twisting the arms of the majority,” Atienza said.
Atienza warned Alvarez that other members of the House might doubt his leadership if he would force the vote on the death penalty.
“Pananakot yun eh (That’s threatening). Arm twisting yun eh, sapilitan (coercion),” Atienza said.
He said the debate on the death penalty should be based on principles.
“(Arm-twisting) will go against the principles. The issue of death penalty is a matter of principle, whether you value life or you value something else,” Atienza said.
“I still believe members of Congress are of integrity, and many of them would not follow that kind of arm-twisting,” he added.
Alvarez earlier said the ruling political party Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) will come up with a party stand on the death penalty. At least 100 of the 290-strong chamber are from the PDP-Laban.
He also called on deputy speakers and committee chairpersons to relinquish their posts if they do not vote for the bill.
READ: House leadership forces vote on death penalty
The House leadership is forcing a vote on the death penalty following a gridlock in the Senate.
At least nine of the 24 senators have expressed opposition to the death penalty as the Senate started its committee deliberations on the restoration of capital punishment.
Meanwhile, 10 are pro-death penalty, while four are pushing for capital punishment only on drug-related cases.
The Senate deliberations centered on the country’s obligations to the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which under the Second Optional Protocol states that “Each State Party shall take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty within its jurisdiction.”
READ: Solons torn between death penalty and international treaty
House Bill 4727 restoring death penalty is seen to be a priority legislation in the House of Representatives.
The bill seeks to impose death penalty on more than 20 heinous offenses, such as rape with homicide, kidnapping for ransom, and arson with death.
READ: Death penalty ‘priority’ bill of lower house — Umali
Speaker Alvarez, President Rodrigo Duterte’s staunch ally in Congress, was among the authors of the bill seeking to reimpose the death penalty after former president now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo abolished capital punishment in 2006 for its failure to deter crime.
Alvarez filed the bill pursuant to President Duterte’s campaign promise of reviving capital punishment against heinous criminals.
READ: First bill in Congress seeks reinstatement of death penalty
Alvarez’s bill sought to reimpose the death penalty for heinous crimes listed under Republic Act 7659, including murder, plunder, rape, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, sale, use and possession of illegal drugs, carnapping with homicide, among others.
In the bill he co-authored with deputy speaker Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, Alvarez said there is a need to reimpose the death penalty because “the national crime rate has grown to such alarming proportions requiring an all-out offensive against all forms of felonious acts.”
“Philippine society is left with no option but to deal with certain grievous offenders in a manner commensurate to the gravity, perversity, atrociousness and repugnance of their crimes,” according to the bill.
Duterte won the elections on a campaign promise to restore the death penalty by hanging, even making a snide remark that the convict’s head should be severed by hanging.
Alvarez said Congress would look into the cheapest way for the death penalty, either by firing squad, lethal injection or by hanging. CDG
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