Pacquiao told: Death penalty revival not a pet bill

Senator Manny Pacquiao. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RICHARD A. REYES

The restoration of the death penalty is one pet bill that Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao would have wanted to be passed in the next two months — until he was told that a controversial measure like the death penalty could not be considered a pet bill, Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said on Thursday.

Sotto said Pacquiao mentioned the death penalty bill during a caucus of senators in Makati Wednesday night.

READ: Death penalty debate set early 2017

“Sabi nya priority nya yung death penalty. Sabi ko hindi pwedeng pet bill yun,” he said in a phone patch interview with Senate reporters.

“Kasi noong una, sabi nya pet bill ko yung death penalty. Sabi ko hindi pwede yun, ang definition ng pet bill, sabi ko, walang objection, walang controversy. Of course, nagbibiro lang yun, I’m sure nagbibiro sya (Pacquiao),” Sotto added.

Also during the caucus, the Majority Leader said he proposed that each senator submit one pet bill, which is “non-controversial,” and a list of  priority measures that they would like to be approved in the next two months.

Congress has been on recess since December 14 and resume its sessions on Monday, January 16.

Sotto said the senators were asked to submit their pet and priority bills at the resumption of session on Monday.

The bills that have been pending on the floor, he said, would be considered priority measures like the proposed Freedom of Information bill, the proposed amendments to the Anti-Wiretapping Law,  the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the expanded “Sotto” law and the proposed emergency powers for traffic, among others. RAM/rga

READ: Senate promises to treat all bills equally