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| Sen. Leila De Lima said lawmakers should transcend political affiliations on the death penalty issue. Senate PRIB/File |
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Leila De Lima on Wednesday called on lawmakers to set aside political affiliations during the deliberation of a bill to reimpose the death penalty for heinous crimes.
For De Lima, the reinstitution of the death penalty is a matter of conscience for members of Congress.
“Lawmakers should transcend political affiliations in this particular issue, especially with the points raised by some members of the Senate that treaty commitment cannot be taken for granted,” De Lima said.
De Lima was responding to House Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez saying he will remove House members from key positions and committees if they go against the restoration of the capital punishment.
House leaders are elected by members while committee chairpersons are picked by the majority bloc. PDP-Laban, Alvarez's party, heads a coalition that constitutes a "supermajority" at the House of Representatives.
Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, PDP-Laban president, agreed with Alvarez and said the party would soon come out with a formal stand on the matter. Pimentel is a former chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
De Lima however said she is hopeful that unlike the House of Representatives, the Senate will deliberate on the death penalty issue without "coercion" and "arm twisting."
“I won’t be surprised anymore if iyan ang tactic nila palagi. But that is something that they cannot do, hopefully, here in the Senate. That’s why mas mahihirapan sila dito sa Senado,” the senator said.
The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Tuesday suspended its inquiry “to review the implications of the country’s commitment to treaties and international agreements which prohibit executions and compel member states to abolish death penalty” over concerns that reimposing the death penalty would violate international treaties that the Philippines is party to.
De Lima was chair of the Justice committee before she was ousted on a motion by administration ally Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao during the Senate's investigation of alleged extrajudicial killings in the government's war on drugs.
Her replacement Sen. Richard Gordon said the committee found no evidence of state-sanctioned killings.
For De Lima, the reinstitution of the death penalty is a matter of conscience for members of Congress.
“Lawmakers should transcend political affiliations in this particular issue, especially with the points raised by some members of the Senate that treaty commitment cannot be taken for granted,” De Lima said.
De Lima was responding to House Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez saying he will remove House members from key positions and committees if they go against the restoration of the capital punishment.
House leaders are elected by members while committee chairpersons are picked by the majority bloc. PDP-Laban, Alvarez's party, heads a coalition that constitutes a "supermajority" at the House of Representatives.
Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, PDP-Laban president, agreed with Alvarez and said the party would soon come out with a formal stand on the matter. Pimentel is a former chair of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
“I won’t be surprised anymore if iyan ang tactic nila palagi. But that is something that they cannot do, hopefully, here in the Senate. That’s why mas mahihirapan sila dito sa Senado,” the senator said.
The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights on Tuesday suspended its inquiry “to review the implications of the country’s commitment to treaties and international agreements which prohibit executions and compel member states to abolish death penalty” over concerns that reimposing the death penalty would violate international treaties that the Philippines is party to.
De Lima was chair of the Justice committee before she was ousted on a motion by administration ally Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao during the Senate's investigation of alleged extrajudicial killings in the government's war on drugs.
Her replacement Sen. Richard Gordon said the committee found no evidence of state-sanctioned killings.
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