Senate cool to return of death penalty

MANILA, Philippines - Despite President Duterte’s urgent call for Congress to revive the death penalty, the measure faces rough sailing in the Senate.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who penned one of the death penalty bills pending in the Senate, admitted that getting the numbers to pass the measure would be a difficult task.

“Even with his (Duterte) prodding, however, I don’t see the death penalty being revived under his watch or at least with the present composition of the Senate,” Lacson said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said that he does not see the death penalty bill being approved in the Senate based on his own count.

Drilon noted that the Liberal Party and its allies in the minority bloc have taken a stand against the death penalty, which would translate to at least five votes.

“The Liberal Party and the Senate minority bloc will oppose it. Let the majority work on it and push it, if they want it. But we will oppose it,” he said.

The minority bloc is composed of Drilon, Senators Francis Pangilinan, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Risa Hontiveros, Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila de Lima, who is currently detained and facing drug-related charges in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, on the other hand, is still optimistic that the death penalty bill will be approved.

“I’ve been open to it. I’m really in favor of it. I’m in favor of the death penalty only to be a deterrent (to illegal drugs) and to make sure that the Philippines doesn’t become the hub for international drug trade in Asia,” Ejercito said.

Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate committee on justice and human rights that is tackling the death penalty bills, said he is still against the death penalty in principle.

According to Gordon, what is needed is to implement reforms in the criminal courts and penal system as a more effective way to discourage the commission of heinous crimes.

“I’m glad that the Supreme Court is finally coming up with continuous hearing of cases. The reason why these guys get away with it is (that) the hearings drag on and on and on. So if we speed up our criminal justice system, continuous hearing of cases and then we start building new prisons in the Visayas and Mindanao, I think we can segregate the bad guys and the good guys,” Gordon said.