Alvarez: House to vote on death penalty bill March 8 even with debates unfinished

The leadership of the House of Representatives will insist on putting the death penalty up to a vote by March 8—whether or not debates on the matter are done by then.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said this is to give way to other measures that are pending before the lower chamber.

He also denied that they are fast-tracking the passage of House Bill No. 4727 by doing this.

“Hindi po mabilis ‘yun,” he told reporters. “Ang tagal na ng ibinigay natin [na oras]. Isipin niyo po, ifinile ‘yan nu’n pang last year, pagbukas ng Kongreso. Hindi po mabilis ‘yon.”

Alvarez says voting for death penalty bill on March 8, may cut off interpellation. He denies rushing proceedings. "Last yr pa na-file ito." pic.twitter.com/Yv4fHsyUjD

— Aica Dioquino (@AicaDioquino) February 14, 2017

Alvarez, a principal author of the measure, said the debates are held back by “many delaying tactics.”

He also noted that voting will push through on March 8 whether the debates are finished or not.

“Alam niyo po, hindi po pupuwede kasing ganu’n, dahil marami pa pong nakabinbin na ibang legislation. Hindi po pupuwedeng sasabit tayo dito sa isang legislation na ‘to. Marami pa po tayong dapat na tugunan, mga panukalang batas na dapat nating ipasa,” he said.

Earlier, House justice committee chair Rey Umali said the leadership will push for the approval of the bill on second reading by March 8, then on third reading by March 15.

However, 50 lawmakers have signed up to interpellate against the measure. So far, only two have done the interpellation—Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and Cebu City Rep. Raul del Mar.

‘Let debates continue’

For his part, Lagman and other members of the “Magnificent 7” minority bloc lamented the implementation of the one-hour-per-solon rule in plenary debates, as House leaders insist that this includes the answers of the bill’s “defenders.”

Lagman also said imposing a deadline is problematic.

“That is the problem with a deadline because they are pursuing this target, so much so that many aspects of the bill may not be discussed thoroughly and the freedom of the members of the House to debate and articulate their observations will be limited,” he said in a press conference.

He added that they will “insist” on debates to proceed if House leaders push to put the measure to a vote by their intended deadline.

Lagman, principal author of the Reproductive Health Bill, which was eventually passed and signed into law, noted how he “stood there, and in some instances, sat on a high chair” just to keep the interpellation going.

“The past Congresses did not interfere on the freedom of members to fully debate on an issue. Ngayon lang nangyayari ito,” he said.

Plunder stays

Meanwhile, Alvarez reiterated on Tuesday that plunder will stay on the list of heinous crimes punishable under the death penalty bill.

He made the assurance after attending the House good governance hearing on the deal between the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and casino developer Vanderwood Management Corporation.

Ex-PAGCOR officials are facing plunder raps for the allegedly anomalous P3.2-billion lease for a property along Roxas Boulevard in Manila.

“Sabi ko nga kanina, with more reasons now na I will insist that it has to be included,” Alvarez said.

Earlier, the Speaker announced that members at the House supermajority had agreed in a caucus to remove plunder from crimes punishable by death under the present measure.

He later clarified this on Monday, saying the crime is still in the original bill, with its removal merely a sentiment of some lawmakers. —KG, GMA News