House OKs death penalty bill on second reading

The House of Representatives on Ash Wednesday voted to approve on second reading the proposed measure reimposing capital punishment in the country.

The bill seeks to impose death on those convicted of drug-related crimes.

House Bill 4727 was passed via viva voce past 7:30 p.m., with the ayes overwhelming the nays, about a minute after Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas moved to close the period of amendments.

Fariñas’ move in the plenary came after a two-hour period of individual amendments, during which anti-death penalty lawmakers repeatedly objected not only to the contents of the bill but also to the proceedings.

The majority did not accept any of the amendments proposed by four lawmakers, who are all against the bill.

As it stands, the bill seeks to impose death penalty on seven drug-related crimes, including:

• importation of dangerous drugs;
• sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and/or transportation;
• maintenance of a den, dive or resort for drug activities;
• manufacturing of dangerous drugs;
• cultivation or culture of plants classified as dangerous drugs, or are sources thereof;
• unlawful prescription of dangerous drugs; and
• criminal liability of a public officer or employee for misappropriation, misapplication, or failure to account for confiscated, seized, or surrendered dangerous drugs.

The initial versions of the bill sought death for those convicted for such diverse heinous crimes as rape and plunder.

While mere possession of dangerous drugs has been removed, this amended version includes heftier punishment for crimes meted with reclusion temporal, or imprisonment of 12 to 20 years), elevating the penalty to reclusion perpetua to death.

Heated ‘Ash Wednesday’

The passage of the bill fell on Ash Wednesday, marked by heated exchanges witnessed by some lawmakers with ash crosses on their foreheads, as well as observers from the gallery that included anti-death penalty groups, members of religious orders, and even grade school students.

Among those who proposed amendments were Deputy Speaker Rolando Andaya, and Reps. Edcel Lagman (Albay), Rodante Marcoleta (1-SAGIP Party-list), Harry Roque (Kabayan), Rav Rocamora (Siquijor), Tom Villarin (Akbayan), and Arnolfo Teves Jr. (Negros Oriental).

Lagman’s repeated proposal to remove “death” in provisions on punishment triggered the seemingly abrupt close of the period of individual amendments.

House justice committee chair Rey Umali, who stood as the bill’s sponsor, registered an “omnibus rejection” of Lagman’s proposal, which then prompted questions over House rules, and eventually a demand for a second roll call.

From 229 lawmakers at the first call, 227 responded at the second round, after which leaders agreed to divide the House on the opposition’s repeated motion to go for nominal voting.

The said motion lost, with only 28 solons standing up for it—short of the 46 votes needed. House leaders then rushed through the closing of the period of amendments, and put the measure to a vote.

‘Bullies and puppets’

With this, Lagman slammed leaders for turning the House into “a chamber of bullies and puppets.”

“You know they have killed our constitutional right to freely express our views… We were from the very start against the death penalty bill, and they should have expected our amendments,” he said.

He also scored Fariñas for committing “a sanctionable statement” by claiming that “our amendments were not honest-to-goodness.”

Saying it “should be deleted from the records,” Lagman said Fariñas’ remark “imputes malice” on anti-death penalty solons.

Opponents’ ‘dilatory’ moves

For his part, Umali affirmed that their move was prompted by the repeated proposals and motions from their opponents.

Denying that they went through the proceedings “in lightning speed,” he said the majority saw the opponents’ tactics as “dilatory.”

“Tingnan mo naman ‘yung proposed amendment pare-pareho. Nakikita mo dine-delay. ‘Yung explanations, ‘yun at ‘yun din. Even if you look at the transcript, makikita mo there were no new explanations given, except for the things that were already covered during the plenary debates,” he said.

“‘Yung proposed amendments ni Manong Edcel, na pabalik-balik pa. I guess this was confusing, even to the people who were watching,” he added.

Amid questions over the manner of voting, Umali said nominal voting will happen on third reading, scheduled next week.

“I’m sure they (opponents) will try every trick in the book, but then I guess the proceedings today is already a glimpse of how the majority will push for this bill,” he added.  —NB/RSJ, GMA News