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[av_heading heading=’Death penalty bill hurdles 2nd reading’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – Via viva voce voting, the House of Representatives passed on second reading Wednesday night the proposed restoration of the death penalty.
The controversial measure, which President Rodrigo Duterte supports, will proceed to third reading next week.
But the bill had been watered down to include only prohibited drug-related offenses, with plunder, rape and treason — all included in the original proposal — dropped after several amendments.
“The approved bill will be applicable only to the manufacture and sale of illegal drugs and the maintenance of a drug den or laboratory, with reclusion perpetua, a 20- to 40-year jail sentence, to death,” said Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu.
Originally the bill identified 21 heinous crimes, including plunder, treason, murder, and rape, to be punishable by death.
Only 28 of the required 46 votes for nominal voting — or one-fifth of the 229 lawmakers who attended the session — were mustered. A viva voce, or voice vote, was carried out instead. Administration lawmakers beat their opponents.
“The people want the death penalty reimposed, as expressed by their representatives in our caucuses and shown by them in our sessions, but a minor group against it has been bullying the majority in expressing its will,” said Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas.
“We all saw how those against [the bill] bullied the majority by introducing amendments that were outright unacceptable since they were irreconcilable with the death penalty,” Fariñas added.
The period of amendments was shortened after opponents of the bill led by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman attempted to delay the proceedings by proposing changes to each line or page of the measure.
Lagman and company also repeatedly insisted on nominal voting, in which House members would be forced to cast their vote individually, instead of a voice vote, but to no avail./PN
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