THE Senate leadership on Monday maintained that the proposal to reinstate the death penalty in the country would not be part of its list of priority measures in its 2nd regular session but assured the House of Representatives that it would be discussed. “So hanggang dun lang, we will assure the House that we will discuss the death penalty bill,” Pimentel said in an interview before the opening of the 17th Congress. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, in a separate interview, also holds the same position, noting that he does not see death penalty on the chamber’s priority list. Bringing back the death penalty is one of the campaign promises of President Rodrigo Duterte. There are five death penalty bills pending before the Senate committee on justice and human rights chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon.

Source: Manila Times July 24, 2017 03:56 UTC