By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya denied being pressured by the majority group of the House of Representatives to vote in favor of reimposing the death penalty.
In a radio interview with Bombo Radyo yesterday, he provided an explanation as to why he failed to provide an explanation in the plenary when voting in favor of House Bill 4727, citing the lack of time.
Gasataya said they were given two options on giving an explanation for their vote, in which he chose to write it down instead.
Based on his written explanation, he is supporting the capital punishment under the condition the suspect is a consistent offender, or repeatedly committing the crime in his or her locality.
“I have no chairmanship in Congress, but there is no such thing as pressuring us to vote in favor of the death penalty bill,” Gasataya added.
Aside from Gasataya, five other representatives from Negros Occidental voted for the death penalty. They include Congressmen Melecio Yap (1st District), Alejandro Mirasol (5th District), Leo Cueva (2nd District), Mercedes Alvarez (6th District), and Alfredo Benitez (3rd District).
4th District Rep. Juliet Ferrer, meanwhile, voted against the measure.
Diocese of Bacolod social communications head and San Sebastian Cathedral rector, Rev. Fr. Felix Pasquin, claimed those who voted in favor were “succumbing to partisanship, fear, or pressure.”/WDJ