Leni hits House revamp over death penalty

Vice President Leni Robredo yesterday criticized the removal of lawmakers who voted against the reimposition of the death penalty from key positions at the House of Representatives.

Herself a critic of the proposal to restore capital punishment in the Philippines, Robredo called out Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez for his decision to remove from various committee chair posts those who voted “No” to reinstating the death penalty.

“He dramatized that our congressmen are indeed not given the mandate to decide for themselves. If they do not follow the order of the leadership, they will be removed,” Robredo said in Filipino.

The Vice President, whom Alvarez threatened with an impeachment complaint on Friday, stressed that all lawmakers – including the leaders – were voted by their constituents.

Decisions of each House member should be based on his beliefs or that of the people he represents, according to Robredo.

“But if this is based on the threats of the leadership, I think this is alarming,” she added.

A former representative of Camarines Sur, Robredo earlier got the ire of Alvarez after she criticized the passage of the death penalty bill.

The Speaker at the time challenged her to run for Congress and seek the speakership before criticizing the House’s processes.