House recalls death penalty for drug possession at parties
Credit to Author: jespinosa| Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2019 08:20:59 +0000
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives threw back to the committee level a bill imposing the death penalty against any person found possessing dangerous drugs during a party, or at a social gathering or meeting, two days after it was approved last Monday.
“Madam Speaker, I move that we recommit House Bill No. 8909 to the committee on dangerous drugs to allow the committee to introduce necessary amendments thereto,” Assistant Majority Leader and Zamboanga Sibugay 1st District Rep. Wilter Palma II said during the plenary session. The motion was approved without objection.
READ: House OKs bill imposing death for possession of drugs at parties
With a vote of 172-0, the chamber approved on third and final reading of HB 8909 last Monday. House Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was among the principal authors of the bill.
Section 13 of the proposed law states that “any person found possessing any dangerous drugs during a party, or at a social gathering or meeting, or in the proximate company of at least two persons shall suffer the penalty of life imprisonment to death and a fine of P500,000 to 10 million, regardless of the quantity and purity of such dangerous drugs.”
On March 7, 2017, the House already gave its nod to House Bill No. 4727 seeking to reimpose capital punishment for heinous drug-related offenses with a vote of 217-54-1. Arroyo, a deputy speaker at the time, voted against the controversial measure, which remains stagnant at the Senate.
On June 24, 2006, the death penalty was suspended through Republic Act No. 9346, which was signed by then-President Arroyo, a devout Catholic. /je
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