“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” –Tony Robbins
It was a landslide and every member from Congress from Iloilo and Guimaras voted for the restoration of the death penalty.
No one wanted to be an island. Nobody was willing to be a lonely voice. There were no Benjamins, Dracoses, and Lycurguses.
Roman poet Juvenal once asked “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” or “Who will guard the guards?”
The Iloilo solons were Atty. Jerry Trenas (Iloilo City), Richard Garin (1st District), Arcadio Gorriceta (2nd District), Atty. Arthur Defensor, Jr. (3rd District), Dr. Ferjenel Biron 4th District), and Raul Tupas 5th District); joining them was Guimaras Rep. Maria Lucille Nava.
Decide
We hope, when they voted yes, they did so because it was what their constituents wanted and that their vote came from the innermost chamber of their hearts.
We hope they sustain their yes votes in Plaza Miranda and explain to their children and grandchildren why some must die.
If they voted yes because of “peer pressure” (a.k.a. Speaker Alvarez’s Sword of Damocles) or because they succumbed to Malacañan’s alleged “carrot and stick” tactics, history will be unkind to them.
However, we doubt any of them held a consultation meeting with their constituents and, if they did, many of these Iloilo and Guimaras solons would be hard-pressed to carry out their vote because Ilonggos are very much against the death penalty.
Tango
For the Lower House, it’s all now water under the bridge. We, now, wait for the Upper Chamber, or the Senate, to see if they complete the tango or split the legislative stance.
A total of 217 lawmakers voted in favor of House Bill Number 4727, while 54 voted against it and one abstained.
A total of 257 out of 293 congressmen were present during the final reading on March 7, 2017.
The bill seeks to allow judges to punish perpetrators of certain drug-related crimes with either life imprisonment or death. The bill also allows the execution to be done either through hanging, firing squad, or lethal injection./WDJ