On death penalty; Sagarbarria: ?Yes’ vote a win for the opposition

DUMAGUETE CIT, Philippines — Representative Manuel Sagarbarria (2nd district, Negros Oriental) described the “yes” vote on the death penalty re-imposition as a victory for those who opposed capital punishment.

In a statement over the weekend, Sagarbarria said that—while the passage of the Death Penalty Bill was a foregone conclusion because the super majority in the House of Representatives backed its approval—it was a sort of a victory for those who opposed it because the original version, which covers 21 crimes, was watered down into a final version covering only drug-related offenses.

"I was completely and absolutely against the death penalty because it is all about retribution, and against the Book of God, specifically the fifth commandment–-Thou shall Not Kill," Sagarbarria said.

In a huddle with fellow congressmen, he said they realized the bill would eventually pass. "They had the numbers already, so I suggested that we should water down the bill … and we brought it down to five crimes."

"Eventually, after long hours of deliberations, we all agreed that the Death Penalty Bill should only be imposed on drug-related offenses, such as selling, pushing, maintaining a drug den, manufacture, and distribution of prohibited drugs — except for mere possession, the highest penalty of which (for a minimum of 50 grams) would only be reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment," Sagarbarria said.

Sagarbarria said he was able to convince his colleagues that mere possession of drugs should not be covered by the death penalty because they are mere victims of this drug menace. "Had we not intervened, the death penalty bill would have covered 21 crimes and offenses, which I believe have no compelling reason to merit the imposition of the death penalty," he said.

Sagarbarria said that another victory is that the bill does not impose a mandatory death penalty. "The maximum penalty is reclusion perpetua to death. It is the judiciary that will decide what penalty to impose. In other words, the imposition of death penalty is not automatic," he said.

The trial court, he said, has the discretion whether the ultimate penalty of death or life imprisonment shall be imposed on a given particular case. And there are many safeguards because, once the Regional Trial Court metes out a death sentence, it is automatically reviewed by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court.

The death penalty will not apply to other crimes but only to drug cases because this is precisely the reason for President Rodrigo Duterte's request in restoring the death penalty.

The Visayas legislators who voted “no” to the bill were: Representatives Emmanuel Billones Sr. (1st district, Capiz), Raul Daza (1st dist., Northern Samar), Raul del Mar (1st dist., Cebu City), Juliet Marie Ferrer (4th dist., Negros Occidental), Joselyn Limkaichong (1st dist., Negros Oriental), and Ramon “RAV” Rocamora (Siquijor).

Meanwhile, Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez (4th district, Leyte) said she had no qualms about her “yes” vote for the re-imposition of the death penalty. "I like knowing there is capital punishment for the evil ones," she said.

Lucy said criminals should also be mindful of their actions. “We do not live for ourselves. All our actions have consequences. People who choose to engage in and promote the illegal drug trade should be held accountable. They threaten the very dignity of human life. They destroy the family unit,” she said.

“In my capacity as representative of the 4th district of Leyte, I vote for capital punishment. It is a deterrent to a crime as evil as drugs,” Lucy added. Reps. Yedda Romualdez (1st dist., Leyte) and Henry Ong (2nd dist., Leyte) were absent during the voting. — with reports from Lalaine M. Jimenea (FREEMAN)