Palace: Reviving death penalty now in Senate’s hands

Reviving the death penalty in the Philippines is now in the Senate’s hands.

This was the remark of Presidential spokesman Harry Roque after the Vatican declared that death penalty is “inadmissible.”

READ: Pope changes death penalty teaching, now ‘inadmissible’

The Vatican, in its new entry in the catechism, branded the death penalty as “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”

Roque said it was now up to the Senate if it would push forward with the legislation bringing back death penalty since it was already passed by the House of Representatives.

“I think the matter of the death penalty is in the hands of the senators now. So we leave it to the Senate whatever decision they may have,” Roque said in a press briefing in Bukidnon.

Roque, however, assured that reimposing the death penalty was still among the priorities of the Duterte administration.

“The President would still try gentle persuasion but it’s really a decision of the senators now,” the spokesman said.

“Prayoridad pa rin po ‘yan ng administrasyon na ibalik ang prusang kamatayan para sa mga seryosong drug-related na mga offenses. Pero ang desisyon po, dahil naipasa na ito ng Kamara, ay nasa Senado na po,” Roque also said.   /vvp