House recalls bill imposing ‘life imprisonment to death’ to individuals possessing drugs at parties

The House of Representatives on Wednesday recalled the third and final reading approval of the measure that imposes a penalty of "life imprisonment to death" on individuals found possessing illegal drugs during parties.

During the plenary session of the chamber, Assistant Majority Leader Wilter Wee Palma moved to reconsider the third reading approval of House Bill 8909, which was done on Monday.

With no objection from members present during the plenary session, Palma's motion was approved.

Palma also moved to recommit the said measure to the Committee on Dangerous Drugs to allow the panel to introduce necessary amendments.

However, Deputy Majority Leader Ron Salo later on moved to reconsider the said recommitment.

"Earlier, we recommitted House Bill 8909 to the Committee on Dangerous Drugs for necessary amendments. I move that we reconsider the recommitment of House Bill 8909 to the Committee on Dangerous Drugs," Salo said.

Salo's motion was approved with no objections from the members present.

House Bill 8909 primarily seeks to strengthen the drug prevention and control campaign of the government by proposing amendments to RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

However, under Section 13 of the said measure, any person found possessing dangerous drug during a party, or at a social gathering or meeting, or in the proximate company of at least two persons will be slapped with a penalty of "life imprisonment to death" and a fine of P500,000 to P10 million.

No less than Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself serves as principal author of the measure.

But she is one of those who voted against House Bill 4727, or the controversial death penalty bill, back in March 2017.