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De Lima relinquishes justice & human rights committee slot to Hontiveros
De Lima relinquishes justice & human rights committee slot to Hontiveros
Opposition Senator Leila de Lima has relinquished her membership in the Senate justice and human rights committee to Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
De Lima made the move after Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian gave up his committee membership to allow Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to participate in the Senate panel’s deliberations on the various bills on death penalty.
De Lima said she wants Hontiveros, a justice and human rights champion like her, to also have the chance to vote and fully join the committee or sub-committee hearings and deliberations on the death penalty bills and other proposed measures referred to the said committee chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon.
“As a courageous voice in the Senate who speaks truth to power and fights for justice and human rights, Sen. Risa’s participation and vote will definitely matter because she will always be on the side of justice,” said De Lima in a statement.
On Monday, Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon read the letter of De Lima stating her decision to relinquish her membership in the Committee of Justice and Human Rights in the plenary session.
Drilon subsequently moved to elect Hontiveros to replace De Lima in the committee. Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri seconded the motion. No senator objected on the motion.
President Duterte, in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 27, urged Congress to reinstate the death penalty “by lethal injection” for crimes specified under the Comprehensive Dangerous Act of 2002.
Currently, there are seven death penalty bills at the Senate, which have all been referred to Gordon’s committee.
Gordon, who himself is against reimposing the death penalty, said he will continue to conduct hearings on the proposed bills on death penalty even if it is ill-timed with the country still engaged on a war against the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also questioned the need to restore the death penalty, which had been abolished by many countries in the world, saying no study has proven it to be a deterrent for the commission of heinous crimes.