By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Diocese of Bacolod appealed to the Philippine Senate, telling them to follow their conscience and junk the death penalty bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives last week.
“What is important is we remain faithful to our conscience,” said San Sebastian Cathedral rector and social communications head, Rev. Fr. Felix Pasquin.
The majority of Negros Island Region (NIR) congressmen voted for House Bill No. 4727 which imposes the death penalty on drug-related crimes. A total of 54 lawmakers, including two from NIR, voted against the bill, while one abstained.
The Negros Occidental lawmakers who voted for the restoration of capital punishment were Reps. Melecio Yap (1st district), Leo Rafael Cueva (2nd district), Alfredo Benitez (3rd district), Alejandro Mirasol (5th district), Mercedes Alvarez (6th district), and Greg Gasataya (Bacolod City lone district).
Rep. Juliet Ferrer (4th district), meanwhile, voted against the bill.
The local diocese publication, Adsum, also released an editorial yesterday, saying the country has become “a nation of murderers,” adding, unless the lawmakers amend the criminal justice system, only the poor, who could not “buy justice,” would be the only ones to suffer capital punishment./WDJ