Cebu solons say yes, no, let’s see

Cebu solons say yes, no, let’s see

CEBU’S legislators differ on their views of the proposed reimposition of the death penalty, just as Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma hopes that more of them thumb the House bill down.

Reps. Benhur Salimbangon (Cebu, 4th) and Ramon “Red” Durano IV (Cebu, 5th) favor the

Wapproval of House Bill 1, which seeks to re-impose the death penalty on those convicted of heinous crimes.

Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north) is against it.

Palma was saddened after hearing that the proposed revival of the death penalty passed the scrutiny of the justice committee.

Palma told reporters that the death penalty is not a solution to the crimes and will not deter criminals.

At least 21 “heinous” crimes have been included in House Bill 1, also known as the Death Penalty bill, which was approved on first reading by the House of Representatives justice committee last Wednesday.

‘Heinous crimes’

According to the measure, heinous crimes are defined as “grievous, odious and hateful offenses, which by reason of their inherent or manifest wickedness, viciousness, atrocity and perversity, are repugnant and outrageous to the common standards and norms of decency and morality in a just, civilized and ordered society.”

Heinous crimes, according to the bill, include treason, murder, parricide, rape, plunder, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons, importation of dangerous drugs, sale of dangerous drugs, manufacture of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals and possession of dangerous drugs, among other crimes.

Palma: Step backward

Palma, who led the pontifical mass in honor of the Immaculate Conception at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral yesterday, said that approving the death penalty will only take the country a step backward.

“When we decided to no longer implement death penalty years ago, it was a sign of growth in our society. But there are others who see its need to deter crime. Yes, we must punish crime but death penalty is not the solution,” he said.

But Palma believes that the fight is not over as there are still some congressmen who he believes will oppose the bill.

Earlier this week, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), urged the Catholic faithful to come together in prayer and express their resistance to House Bill 1.

He also ordered all churches in the country to dedicate masses to pray against the death penalty.

Salimbangon: Illegal drugs

In an interview yesterday, Salimbangon, a coauthor of the bill, said the death penalty will focus on the illegal drug trade.

“We know that there were manufacturing of shabu and illegal drug distribution even inside the National Bilibid Prison. We also know that there were brutal killings and gang-rape cases because of illegal drugs. And this illegal drug business has destroyed communities. So we must stop it by restoring the death penalty for drug lords and drug traffickers,” Salimbangon said.

When asked to comment on the apprehensions of the religious sector that only the marginal people will die through lethal injection because of alleged corruption in the judicial system, Salimbangon disagreed.

“That is a sweeping statement and it’s unfair to our judges. We have to trust our judicial system,” Salimbangon said.

He said, though, that they are working on bills that will reform the Judiciary and “put safeguards for innocent people who will be falsely accused.”

Durano: Crime-deterrent

In a separate interview, Durano said he is for the reimposition of the death penalty because he believes it will deter crimes.

“We could never say that the death penalty had no long-term effect on our crime rate considering that its imposition a few years ago was short-lived. We must give this measure a chance if only to help curb criminality in the country,” Durano said.

The congressman said the death penalty would have to be implemented side by side the reforms in the Judiciary.

He said he understands the fear of some people that only the poor may end up in the lethal injection chamber because of the alleged corrupt judicial system.

“That’s why reforms in the judicial system need to be done. (House) bills with regard to the judicial system reforms are now being tackled at the (House) committee level,” said Durano.

Del Mar: Harsh

For his part, del Mar said he is against the reimposition of the death penalty for heinous crimes.

He is one of the co-authors of Republic Act (RA) 9346, passed on June 24, 2006, which prohibits the imposition of death penalty in the country.

It repealed RA 8177 or the Act Designating Death by Lethal Injection and RA 7659 otherwise known as the Death Penalty Law.

“My reason then (for prohibiting the imposition of death penalty) stands as my reason against the reimposition of the death penalty,” he told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview yesterday.

Back in 2006, he had expressed his disapproval of the measure to impose the death penalty, finding it “harsh,” he said.

Del Mar said he will discuss other reasons for his opposition at the proper time.

“The issue is still floating because it has not yet been formally discussed in the plenary,” he said.

Abellanosa: Vox populi

Rep. Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City, south district), for his part, said he will vote on the reimposition of the death penalty according to the sentiments of his constituents.

“Being a highly controversial issue, the proposed bill should be subjected to thorough deliberations and debates in the plenary. Railroading the approval of the bill in the House could pose legal questions and ramifications later on,” he said.