Leni laments ‘arm twisting’ on death penalty bill

MANILA, Philippines - Unlike the present ruling party, the Liberal Party did not “arm twist” its members to vote for priority measures during the Aquino administration, Vice President and LP chair Leni Robredo said yesterday.

She was referring to pressures reportedly being exerted by the House leadership on some members of the chamber to compel them to vote for the measure reviving the death penalty.

“I have a lot of friends who are committee chairmen who are being told to vote (in favor of) death penalty or they will be replaced. A lot are in a tight situation and I wish it wouldn’t happen,” she said in an interview with ANC’s “Headstart” last Friday.

“We were the administration party before and we were asked to vote according to our conscience,” she added.

Robredo said she would not back down on her previous statement criticizing House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez over his supposed threats to members of the super majority coalition who are against the reinstatement of the death penalty.

However, she refused to comment on Alvarez’ challenge for her to run for Speaker first before meddling with matters in Congress.

“I won’t respond to that… I might have ruffled his feathers when I said that. But I’m not also backing out of whatever I said,” she said.

The Vice President is opposed to the proposal to reinstate capital punishment.

In the same interview, Robredo said she does not have a problem being out of the loop, noting that she is used to being “outside the kulambo.”

“My husband and I had gone through so much as far as his political career was concerned before, I wasn’t part of politics yet,” she said.