[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Over 200 congressmen vote in favor, 54 object’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
By ADRIAN STEWART CO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=”]
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
MANILA – The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on its third and final reading the re-imposition of the death penalty bill, less than a week after it was passed on the second reading.
The watered-down bill, which is now only applicable to the manufacture and sale of illegal drugs and the maintenance of a drug den or laboratory, was approved by 216 congressmen, denied by 54 others as one abstained.
The proposal originally identified 21 heinous crimes including plunder, treason, murder and rape to be punishable by death, but the list was reduced to only drug-related offenses to make the bill more acceptable to lawmakers.
Meanwhile, those who opposed the passage of the bill, led by Albay representative Edcel Lagman, plan to contest the measure before the Supreme Court since it violates the three-day notice rule in the 1987 Constitution.
“It is not seasonable as it violates the three-day notice rule prescribed by Section 26(2) of Article VI of the Constitution,” Lagman said in a press conference.
“Our next step would wait until the President signs this into law, and once it is signed into a law, kahit hindi pa tuyo ‘yung tinta, pupunta na kami sa Korte Suprema,” the congressman added.
“Ang hindi ko lang maintindihan ay bakit masyadong pinagmamadali. Sino ba ang hinahabol nila o sino ang naghahabol sa kanila? Wala naming hinahabol sa Senado.”
In case the law is enacted, Lagman said they will still push through with their opposition to capital punishment. “We will continue our advocacy against death penalty,” he said.
“Just in case na this would pass to the Senate, obviously it will be ratified by the bicameral conference committee. Probably, those which were deleted in the House version will be re-instated in the bicameral conference committee,” he added.
Asked on when will they proceed to the Supreme Court to appeal, Lagman said: “Month of June.”
“It’s definite that the President is the architect of the re-imposition of the death penalty and will surely sign this.”
The death penalty bill, which was abolished by then president and now Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2006, was among the campaign promises of Duterte./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
