Death penalty bill reaches House plenary for sponsorship

MANILA –The bill seeking to restore the death penalty reached the plenary for deliberation at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Deputy Speaker Fredenil Castro endorsed House Bill No. 4727 during Wednesday’s plenary session.

In his sponsorship speech, Castro said the measure seeks to fight crimes that are horrendous, malevolent, and spiteful with death penalty serving as a shield against criminality.

“Ang mga krimen tinaguriang buktot sapgagkat ang mga ito ay kakilakilabot, kasuklamsuklam, at karumaldumal na isinakatuparan sa ating kapanahunan, ay naging mas malupit, mas nakagigimbal, mas kahindikhindik, at mas nakakasuka sa anyo, kalupitan, resulta ng pamamaraan,” Castro said.

Castro said there are instances when the crimes are too blatant that society’s ultimate punishment, which is death, may be appropriate.

He noted that the death penalty is not an enemy of life but a defender of it.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier said he is confident the lower chamber will pass the measure reinstating the death penalty after 30 days of full deliberations.

“I am very confident of its passage. Well, we have a supermajority coalition and if there is anyone who will go against it, there are probably just around 5 or 10 (lawmakers),” Alvarez said.

“Let’s allow the full debates to happen first so we can discern the sentiments of the members of the majority,” he added.

The measure reviving death penalty already passed a major hurdle at the committee level last Dec. 7, 2016.

Under the proposed measure, the heinous crimes for which the death penalty will be imposed include illegal drug trafficking, arson, treason, murder, rape, kidnapping, and carnapping.

The mode of capital punishment could either be through hanging, by firing squad or lethal injection.