Did Duterte talk death penalty during dinner? Senators can’t agree

President Rodrigo Duterte shares an “intimate” dinner with 15 members of the Senate majority block. SCREENGRAB FROM JV EJERCITO’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

It was an informal, “purely socials” gathering but President Rodrigo Duterte somehow managed to make a “subtle” push for the death penalty when he met with 15 senators Tuesday night.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and another senator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the issue was mentioned in passing by the President.

Duterte was talking about the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group when he mentioned about the need to pass the death penalty bill, a source said.

“That’s why I want the death penalty passed,” the source quoted the President as saying.

Recto, who was vocal against the death penalty, confirmed that the issue was briefly discussed during the dinner.

“There were no serious discussions. We spoke about many issues in passing. No agreements were made. We joked around. It was very informal. My impression is it was all about camaraderie,” Recto said in a text message on Wednesday.

READ: Duterte dinner with senators ‘light,’ but De Lima, drug war discussed

Asked if the death penalty was one of the issues mentioned in passing, the senator said: “Yes, briefly. And we all know his position with or without (the dinner).”

“He (Duterte) did not even say it directly. He only expressed his position,” Recto added.

The death penalty bill was already approved in the House of Representatives but in the Senate, the measure is pending at the committee on justice and human rights, chaired by Senator Richard Gordon, who was also present in the dinner.

Like Recto, Gordon is also against the restoration of the death penalty.

Aside from Recto and Gordon, 13 other senators were present in the dinner were Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Manny Pacquiao, Joel Villanueva, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Sonny Angara, Sherwin Gatchalian, Loren Legarda, Nancy Binay, JV Ejercito, Cynthia Villar and Grace Poe.

READ: Guess who came to Duterte’s ‘intimate’ dinner?

Sotto and Ejercito, however, denied the death penalty issue was brought up during the meeting.

“Nope, more light topics,” Ejercito said in a text message, adding that the President made the “usual pitch for war against drugs, and partially proposed tax reform measure.”

“Nope, purely socials,” Sotto said in a separate text message.

Angara echoed Sotto’s statement that the meeting was purely “socials” although he said he remembered the President talking about his administration’s war on drugs.

“I remember he (Duterte) mentioned that rape incidence has gone up since (Oplan) Tokhang (was) halted,” he said in another text message. IDL