Gordon on death penalty: We can disagree with the President

Senator Richard Gordon on Sunday maintained his stance against the re-imposition of death penalty for drug-related crimes, saying that lawmakers can also disagree with President Rodrigo Duterte's priority legislation.

In a Dobol B sa News TV interview, Gordon, who chairs the Senate Committee on Justice, reiterated that reviving death penalty should not be a priority especially that the country is faced with the threat of COVID-19.

"Ang issue ko ay bakit mo pag-uusapan yan ngayon? Can we not disagree with the President?" he said.

"We can disagree, we can set up our position na hindi ito ang priority. Ang priority, naghihirap ang tao. Ang priority, ayusin natin ang COVID-19. Ang priority, yung stimulus package," he added.

In calling for the return of capital punishment, Duterte said during his 5th State of the Nation Address that the death penalty bill "will help us deter criminality and save our children posed by the illegal and dangerous drugs."

Currently, there are 10 pending death penalty bills in the upper chamber that were all referred to the Senate Committee on Justice.

Senator Ronald Dela Rosa has volunteered to lead the subcommittee hearings on the matter, taking the place of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian in the justice panel.

But Gordon said he will not let Dela Rosa handle the justice subcommittee to tackle the death penalty bills due to his bias for the approval of the measures.

"Sasabihin niya dahil ako ay against death penalty, sasabihin niya biased ako, lalong hindi ko ibibigay sa kanya dahil siya ang biased talaga. Sinasabi niya aggressively na siya ay for the death penalty," he said.

"I'm calling him down now, huwag mo namang sabihin na ida-drag namin ang feet namin dito. Hindi ko ginagawa yan," he added.

For Gordon, the renewed call for the return of death penalty only shows that the government has failed to keep order and safety in the country.

"Kung gusto nila magkaroon ng death penalty... ibig sabihin hindi nila naayos ang peace and order, hindi nila nahikayat ang mga tao na tumulong para mawala yung mga riding-in-tandem. Ibig sabihin failure ang peace and order. Mukhang yun ang indication," he said.

"[Pero] hindi niyo maso-solve yan by killing people. Ano, papatayin natin lahat? Kaya niyo bang pumatay araw-araw? Sabagay nangyayari na yan ngayon, maraming namamatay araw-araw," he added.

Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said the House of Representatives will thoroughly discuss the proposed return of death penalty. —LBG, GMA News