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Friday, June 09, 2006
Arroyo to okay law abolishing death penalty before Europe trip
THE Palace said Thursday that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will sign into law the bill repealing the death penalty before she leaves the country on June 24 for the Vatican, Libya, and Spain.
Arroyo is supposed to meet Pope Benedict XVI in her trip to the Vatican. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the initial schedule for the foreign is from June 24 to July 1 with Libya as the first stop.
Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor said the President was "very happy" with Congress' approval of the bill, which she certified as urgent.
"We will be getting the official copy of the law approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives and before the month ends, we are preparing for it to be approved by President Arroyo. Hopefully, we could do this before June 24," Defensor said.
He said the Anti-Death Penalty Law is "not exactly popular" because "a good amount of the majority" of Filipinos, including himself, still favor the death penalty.
"That is really the personal conviction of the President and we have the support of the Senate and the Lower House, then we just have to respect that," he said. (JMR/Sunnex)
(June 9, 2006 issue)
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