ABANG Lingkod party-list Representative Stephen Paduano said he is against the reimposition of the death penalty.
“It is my conscience vote. I will not discuss the merits of the bill. It is my renewal and commitment to God and my religious belief,” he added.
Paduano’s aired his stand after House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said that deputy speakers and congressmen who belong to the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) who will not vote for the bill will supposedly lose their speakerships and committee chairmanships.
He added that he is willing to risk his positions in different committees.
“I will never compromise my faith,” he added.
Paduano said the House leadership made the policy putting the deputy speakers in an awkward and difficult situation.
House Bill 1, also known as the Death Penalty bill, identifies the heinous crimes for which the death penalty will be imposed, including trafficking in illegal drugs, arson, treason, murder, rape, kidnapping, and carnapping. The mode of capital punishment could either be through hanging, by firing squad or lethal injection.
The imposition of death penalty has been suspended since 2006 with the enactment of Republic Act No. 9346, or “An Act Prohibiting the Imposition of Death Penalty in the Philippines.” (TDE)