Hanging, firing squad or lethal injection?
Soon, the Philippine courts may be issuing death sentences with one of these methods. That if the death penalty bill will be reimposed in the predominantly Christian nation.
Rep. Juan Pablo Bondoc (Pamp.-4th District) has voted for the revival of the death penalty bill which is scheduled for Plenary sponsorship next week. Bondoc is a member of the justice committee.
By a vote of 12-6, the Justice committee has approved the substitute bill consolidating several similar measures reimposing the capital punishment for more than 20 heinous offenses on Wednesday.
The 12 lawmakers who voted for the revival of the death penalty bill include: Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, Ilocos Norte 1st District; Deputy Speaker Fredenil Castro, Capiz 2nd District; Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia, Cebu 3rd District; Deputy Speaker Sharon Garin, AMBIS-OWA; Arthur Defensor Jr, Iloilo 3rd District
Juan Pablo Bondoc, Pampanga 4th District; Victoria Noel, An Waray; Edwin Ong, Northern Samar 2nd District; Ruwel Gonzaga, Compostela Valley 2nd District; Carlos Uybarreta, 1-CARE Vicente Veloso, Leyte 3rd District; and Divina Yu, Zamboanga del Sur 1st District
The lawmakers who opposed the revival of the death penalty bill include: Kaka Bag-ao, Dinagat Islands; Jose Christopher Belmonte, Quezon City 6th District; Juliet Ferrer, Negros Occidental 4th District; Lawrence Fortun, Agusuan del Norte 1st District; Ramon Rocamora, Siquijor; and Carlos Zarate, Bayan Muna Rep. Anthony Bravo, COOP-NATCCO abstained.
The measure will allow Philippine courts to impose death as punishment for heinous crime. It is expected to be debated and possibly passed on third and final reading before Christmas.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and Dinagat Rep. Kaka Bag-ao have argued there were no compelling reasons to justify the reimposition of the death penalty bill.
Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso said the measure will give courts the option to impose death penalty against the worst and most hardened criminals.
The following crimes are punishable by death:
• Treason
• Piracy in general and mutiny on the high seas or in Philippine waters
• Qualified piracy
• Qualified bribery
• Parricide
• Murder
• Infanticide
• Rape
• Kidnapping and serious illegal detention
• Robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons
• Destructive arson
• Plunder
• Importation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals
• Sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursor and essential chemicals
• Maintenance of a den, dive or resort where any dangerous drug is used or sold in any form
• Manufacture of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals
• Possession of dangerous drugs
• Cultivation or culture of plants classified as dangerous drugs or are sources thereof
• Unlawful prescription of dangerous drugs
• Criminal liability of a public officer or employee for misappropriation, misapplication or failure to account for the confiscated, seized and/or surrendered dangerous drugs, plant sources of dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals, instruments/ paraphernalia and/or laboratory equipment including the proceeds or properties obtained from the unlawful act committed.
• Criminal liability for planting evidence
• Carnapping
(Erratum: The story has earlier mistakenly included Leyte 2nd District Representative Henry Ong among the lawmakers who voted in favor of the death penalty bill. “Rep. Henry Ong is not a member of the Committee on Justice and has no personality to cast his vote for or against the death penalty bill during the said hearing,” according to his Political Affairs Officer Atty. Ejay A. Bumatay-Genuino. It was Northern Samar 2nd District Representative Edwin Ong who voted for the restoration of the death penalty bill. Our apologies – Editor)