Lacson doubtful death penalty bill will pass Senate

Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

Even Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, one of the authors of the death penalty bill, has expressed doubts the measure could pass the Senate.

“Sarili kong calculation malabo, sa Senado, malabo (In my own calculation, I don’t think it will pass in the Senate),” Lacson said in an interview over DZMM on Tuesday.

The senator noted that the measure is still at the committee level in the Senate unlike in the House of Representatives, which already approved it on second reading and is now gearing to pass it on third and final reading.

BACKSTORY: Death penalty bill up for final House approval March 7

“Medyo malabong makakuha ng majority vote sa Senado (I doubt it will get the majority vote in the Senate),” the senator said.

“Mental calculation lang mukhang hindi papasa dito (Based on my mental calculation, I don’t think it will pass here),” Lacson added.

READ: Pimentel expects close fight on death penalty in Senate

Aside from Lacson, three more senators have filed separate measures on the death penalty and they are Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Senators Manny Pacquiao, and Sherwin Gatchalian.

Lacson’s bill, however, covered a wide range of heinous crimes punishable by death, including drug-related cases, plunder, rape, terrorism, treason, murder, qualified bribery, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, among others.

While he welcomed proposals to limit the coverage of the bill to high level drug offenses, Lacson asked about those victims of heinous crimes, citing in particular a nine-year-old victim of rape.

“Papaano naman ‘yung talagang karumal-dumal na krimen walang kinalaman sa droga? Papaano naman ‘yung plunderer na nagnakaw ng daang-milyon saka bilyon. Mas maraming pinapatay ‘yun,” he said.

(How about the heinous crimes that are not related to drugs? What about the plunderer who steals millions and billions? They leave more dead in their tracks.)

“E kung ipapasa na rin lang natin ang death penalty, bakit ize-zero in sa drugs para lang masatisfy natin, dahil ang pangunahing advocacy o yung gustong tapusin ng Pangulo e ‘yung problema ng illegal drugs?”

(If we will pass the death penalty, why would we zero in on drugs, so we can satisfy the President whose main advocacy is to end the drug problem?) IDL/rga

READ: Lacson: Senate shouldn’t pass death penalty law to please Duterte