50 executions a month

Believing that bringing back capital punishment will help his administration curb illegal drugs, criminality and restore peace and order, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, in a meeting with congressmen in Davao, asked the lawmakers to approve the restoration of the death penalty urgently. He said he favors executions by hanging rather than lethal injection. He also said he wants 50 executions a month, causing a strong deterrent effect.

Considering the controversial nature of the proposal, it will take the Congress one year to approve the measure. It will take another year before Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) will impose 50 death sentences.

Death sentences are automatically appealed to the Supreme Court (SC) where it will take at least one year to decide a case of death penalty. Thus, it will take three years before we see the first death sentence carried out, certainly way beyond the six-month period during which President Duterte promised to eradicate criminality.

According to Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, the legislative branch should be able to fast track the passage of the measure on death by hanging in three to four months, since Duterte’s allies in the Senate and House have confirmed the support of a “super majority” of their colleagues to vote for the bill during congressional deliberations. Also, the bill is not expected to face rough sailing in the Senate. Senator Koko Pimentel believed the bill could be passed in three months, while Senator Tito Sotto also believed it is high time for the country to bring back the death penalty.

As for Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, he believed passing this measure could hit a few bumps even if President-elect Duterte gains control of Congress, saying certain interest groups like the Church and human rights organizations will be protesting against it.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will go all-out against the death penalty, as well as the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), as it has been shown to be discriminatory against the poor and marginalized. The CHR said that punishment of death is not the deterrent, as past surveys showed a rise in heinous crime despite its imposition. Senator-elect Leila de Lima also announced she is against the reimposition of the death penalty.

President Duterte warned the lawmakers not to make the mistake of conducting a congressional inquiry on his anticrime campaign when it gets off the ground, saying he is doing what is right, as long as it is the truth. “I do not want to go to the extreme but I am asking for the reversal of these things. If I cannot get it the right way, then, I will do it the wrong way because I have a sworn duty to protect the Republic,” he said.

But Duterte gave assurance that he would not interfere in the way of Congress’ work as he wanted to have as little to do with their affairs as possible.

When sought for a comment on Duterte’s reported warning, Senator-elect Panfilo Lacson issued a statement saying not even the President of the Republic can dictate and stop Congress, the Senate in particular, from doing its job.

Moreover, Duterte’s another way of curbing criminality was offering rewards for every drug lord slain, saying it was a plea for them to stop. He likewise warned the policemen to stop misdeclaring the actual volume of seized drugs.

Ban Ki-Moon hits Duterte

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has criticized President-elect Rodrigo Duterte for his apparent support of extra-judicial killings, voicing particular concern over his comments seen as justifying murdering journalists.

Ban said it was illegal and a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms. “Such comments are of particular concern in light of ongoing impunity for serious cases of violence against journalists in the Philippines,” Ban added.

14 votes for Pimentel

Senator Koko Pimentel has 14 signed senators who supported him to be the next Senate president in the coming 17th Congress.

Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Miguel Zubiri and Cynthia Villar have formed a separate bloc.

Forming the minority bloc are Senators Francis Escudero, Antonio Trillanes, and possibly outgoing Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto.

All senators get the same budget allocation except for the four officers who get the extra budget of one additional committee.

Senator Vicente Sotto will be the majority floor leader.

Senator Loren Legarda retains the chairmanship of the Senate committee on finance, which Recto also wants.

Current Senate President Franklin Drilon is likely to head the committee on banks, financial institutions and currencies.

Senator Gringo Honasan will chair the committee on national defense.

Senator Panfilo Lacson will head the committee on public order and dangerous drugs, while Senator Manny Pacquiao will get the committee on public works.

Senator Francis Pangilinan will chair the committee on agriculture even though Senator Villar has been vocal about retaining her chairmanship of that committee.

The committee on tourism will go to Senator Nancy Binay.

Meanwhile, Senator Pimentel said he prefers a constitutional convention as the way to amend the Constitution. Delegates will be elected.

Duterte’s target is to institute a federal government by 2020.

Tidbits

President-elect Duterte said in Cebu that he is increasing the bounty for a drug lord killed in Cebu to P5.5 million.

The unemployment rate went up to 6.1 percent in April, from 5.8 percent in January. The youth unemployment rate for persons age 15-24 went up to 14.6 percent. National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said that 4.7 million young Filipinos are underutilized. Date showed the unemployment rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) is 7.7 percent.

Kris Aquino is the biggest contributor to Leni Robredo’s campaign. She gave P30.8 million.

Rep. Tony Boy Floirendo is the biggest contributor to the presidential campaign of Duterte. He gave P75 million.

Some 120 million Chinese traveled out of China in 2015. The Philippine Department of Tourism should focus on Chinese tourists.