JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, Philippine National Police chief Director-General Ronaldo dela Rosa, officials of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and civil society groups have been invited to the congressional hearing next week on the restoration of the death penalty.
The subcommittee on judicial reforms, which is under the committee on justice, moved to invite the officials and representatives of government offices, religious and civil society groups during the initial deliberation of seven bills seeking to reimpose the death penalty.
Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso, subcommittee chairman, instructed their panel’s secretariat to send invitations accordingly in response to the motion of Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman to invite possible resource persons for their next hearing.
Lagman’s proposed list includes Aguirre, Dela Rosa, officials or representatives of the CBCP, Free Legal Assistance Group, iDefend or In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement, Amnesty
International-Philippines Chapter, Coalition Against the Death Penalty, and other civil society organizations.
Veloso stressed the need for Congress to hear all sides of the sectors concerned on the measure as restoring the penalty of death on heinous crimes involves administration of justice.
He also cited the Constitution and jurisprudence relative to the deliberation on the death penalty proposals.
Veloso said six bills on death penalty are pending in his panel. These includes House Bill No. 1 authored by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Deputy Speaker and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro, Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu, Deputy Speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya, Jr., Rizal Rep. Michael John Duavit, and AKO-BICOL party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe.
The other bills are : HB 16 by Rep. Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, HBs 513 and 3418 by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers and HBs 3237, 3239 and 3240 by Saranani Rep. Rogelio Pacquiao.
Veloso also said the committee on justice, chaired by Negros Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali, manifested that all bills regarding the restoration of the death penalty should be referred to the sub-committee on judicial reforms pursuant to its jurisdiction covering all matters relating to the administration of justice.
Castro said since the seven measures all seek to reimpose death penalty, then they should be consolidated so the subcommittee will tackle only one bill, which is the consolidated bill.
“All seven bills filed involve the same question of law, which is the propriety or impropriety of restoring the death penalty,” said Castro.
Veloso said during a meeting of the justice committee, Fariñas moved to adopt the explanatory note of the seven bills as the sponsorship speeches, which was approved by the panel members.
He added it is more appropriate to consolidate all the bills on the death penalty after listening to the presentation of the resource persons and agencies.
During the hearing, the anti-crime group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, represented by its founding chairman Dante Jimenez, expressed strong support for the proposals to re-impose death penalty on certain heinous crimes.
In a position paper submitted to the subcommittee, the VACC said the Death Penalty Law is needed if the country is to succeed in the war against crime, corruption, and illegal drugs.