Sen. Manny Pacquiao (File photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
There is no stopping Senator Manny Pacquiao from pursuing the proposed death penalty bill by having it approved in the Senate within the year.
This even after Vatican’s pronouncement that the death penalty is “inadmissible” as it is an “attack on the inviolability and dignity” of all humans.
READ: Pope changes death penalty teaching, now ‘inadmissible’
“Yes,” Pacquiao said when asked in an an interview over DWIZ on Saturday if he would push through with the hearings on the proposed restoration of the death penalty in the country.
The neophyte senator has been tasked to lead the hearings of the Senate justice committee on the issue.
“Biblically andyan naman yan sa Bible e. Kung Bible ang pag-uusapan, andyan naman. Binibigyan ng karapatan ang authority, which is the government, to impose the death penalty against those who commit heinous crimes so even in our Constitution nandyan yan,” he added.
(Biblically, it’s in the Bible. If we talk about the Bible, it’s there. The authority, which is the government, has been given the right to impose the death penalty against those who commit heinous crimes so it’s there, even in our Constitution)
Pacquiao expects to conduct another hearing or two before elevating the discussion to the plenary.
While he is pushing for the reimposition of the death penalty on several heinous crimes like drug trafficking, rape with murder, robbery with murder and kidnap for ransom, the senator said he is open to limit it to high-level drug trafficking if only to get the support of his colleagues.
“Open naman at least yung sa drugs kasi yun talaga ang nagpapahirap sa sambayanang Pilipino, yung illegal drugs na yan,” he said.
(I’m open to it, at least on drug-related cases, because it’s really the cause of sufferings of our countrymen, the illegal drugs)
“Sa tignin ko makakuha naman (ang majority) basta drugs lang (I think we can get the majority if we limit it only to drugs),” the senator added.
Asked if he had a time frame for the approval of the measure, Pacquiao said, “Magba-budget din kasi medyo magiging busy na rin tayo pero madadaliin natin, sikapin natin ma-aprub sa Senado ngayong taon na ito.”
(We’ll be busy also because of budget hearings but we’ll fast-track it, we’ll try to have it approved in the Senate within this year:)
The House of Representatives has already approved a bill, seeking to reimpose the death penalty on drug-related offenses. /jpv
READ: House approves death penalty bill with 217 yes votes