Now is not the right time to talk about death penalty revival in the House of Representatives.

Muntinlupa City lone district Rep. Ruffy Biazon gave this manifestation before the Committee on Justice Wednesday on the scheduled tackling of filed bills calling for the reimposition of death penalty for certain drug-related and heinous crimes.

"I have reservations on the tackling of the death penalty bills at the height of the pandemic. Government is still in the thick of a fight against the virus, which seems to be on an escalation," Biazon told panel chairman, Leyte 3rd district Rep. Vicente "Ching" Veloso III. 

Moments earlier, the Muntinlupa lawmaker moved to exclude his own death penalty revival measure, House Bill (HB) No.741,  from in the panel's agenda. The committee had in consideration 12 bills in total, including Biazon's.

"I believe that at this point, a contentious social issue such as death penalty may be an unecessary distraction in the effort to consolidate public and private sector support and focus against the pandemic," he said.

"A socially and politically divisive debate on death penalty will be detrimental to the 'heal as one' mantra. The public expects Congress to give priority to measures that directly address the public health emergency we are currently facing," he further said.

According to him, the videoconferencing-based hearings being held by House committees in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic simply can't give justice to a discourse befitting the gravity of death penalty as a topic.

Biazon claimed that there is still enough time under the Duterte administration to legislate the return of capital punishment.

"Starting from my very first term in the 12th Congress, I have consistently pursued legislation proposing the imposition of capital punishment particularly for the high-level drug traffickers. I remain in that belief because I believe it is the appropriate and commensurate penalty for those who benefit from the ruin, misery and death in people's lives. However, I also believe that there is a timing for everything, even in legislation," he said.

"With two more years remaining in the mandate of the 18th Congress and the term of the President, I believe there is still time for the consideration of the bill after the pandemic has been place under control or has died down."

The hearing went on following Biazon's remarks as there were still 11 bills on deck.

However, the measures remained unconsolidated at the end of the hearing because solons didn't have enough time to finish their discussion.

Veloso said a second hearing on the matter would be scheduled soon.