Panelo: Solons are afraid of death penalty

Presidential chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo. VINCE F. NONATO/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Afraid of their own ghosts?

This was how Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo reacted to reports that legislators plan to exclude plunder from the crimes punishable with death once the bill imposing capital punishment is restored.

“Maybe some of them would not want to be prosecuted later on. Or maybe some of them would not want other members coming in to be subjected to such,” Panelo told reporters in a chance interview in Malacañang.

“They’re only humans, they are afraid of death penalty,” he added.

Panelo said plunder could be equated to murder since millions of people die due to corruption.

“When you deprive constituents of the millions and billions of money that should be given to them, you are killing them effectively. That’s a heinous crime to my mind,” he said.

Allies of President Rodrigo Duterte in the lower House earlier said plunder did not warrant capital punishment, citing it was only a “lame” excuse.

Willing to work with CBCP 

In a Palace briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Malacañang was willing to work with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to fix differences between the President and the Church.

The CBCP has been vocal in its opposition to the reimposition of death penalty.

“If they show this from the very beginning, maybe we would have a better working relationship. Of course, we welcome that. But, of course, at this particular stage, things have to be worked out. But the initiative must come from the CBCP,” Abella said. RAM