Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Monday said he is looking at the possibility of passing the death penalty bills on a piecemeal basis covering other heinous crimes like plunder and rape.
In an ambush interview at the House of Representatives, Alvarez said the House will prioritize on passing House Bill 4727 imposing the death penalty on drug-related offenses on third and final reading first in a bid to advance moves to restore capital punishment.
The death penalty bill on drug-related offenses hurdled the second reading approval last Wednesday.
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Other death penalty bills on other heinous crimes, such as plunder and rape, may be filed later on, Alvarez said, amid criticisms that the House majority excluded plunder and rape from capital punishment.
“Isa-isa nalang naming ipasa kasi para meron naman tayong natapos. Dahil ‘pag sabay-sabay, baka humaba pa yung mga debate, so isa-isa muna para matapos tayo dun sa illegal drugs. Sunod naman natin yung iba,” Alvarez said.
(We will pass it one by one, so that at least we’re able to accomplish something. If we do it all at once, the debates will take longer, so let’s make it piece by piece so that at least we are done with illegal drugs. The others will follow.)
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Alvarez said the House leadership has to be realistic about imposing the death penalty on drug-related offenses first before pursuing capital punishment on other offenses.
“Hindi ‘yun matter of convenience kundi alam mo we have to be realistic kasi kung gusto natin sabay-sabay at matagal naman natin pag-uusapan yan eh mabuti pa yung isa-isa nalang para meron tayong nagagawa,” Alvarez said.
(It’s not simply a matter of convenience. We have to be realistic because if we will do this all at once, it will take us a long time to even talk about it. It would be better to do it one by one so at least we are able to accomplish something.)
Alvarez said he will stay true to his word to strip lawmakers of their committee or deputy speaker posts if they oppose or even abstain from voting on the death penalty bill.
The death penalty bill is set to be approved on third and final reading on Tuesday.
READ: Death penalty bill up for final House approval next week
The death penalty bill has been amended to limit its coverage to drug-related offenses, in a bid to support the administration’s bloody narcotics crackdown that has claimed over 7,000 lives.
The bill as it has been amended excluded plunder, rape, and treason from the death sentence.
READ: Death penalty bill now limited to drug offenses
The bill will not impose a mandatory death sentence, giving the judge the leeway whether to impose life sentence or the maximum penalty of death on convicts.
The bill will punish with death or life imprisonment the following drug-related offenses:
- importation of dangerous drugs
- sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of dangerous drugs maintenance of a den, dive or resort
- manufacture of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals
- misappropriation, misapplication or failure to account for confiscated, seized or surrendeed dangerous drugs
- planting of evidence
Possession of drugs will only be penalized with the maximum offense of life imprisonment.
The bill stated that the death penalty should not be imposed on children below 18 years old or senior citizens over 70 years of age at the time of the commission of the crime.
The penalty will be carried out by hanging, firing squad, or lethal injection. JE/rga