The leadership of the House of Representatives will continue the revamp of its members who voted against the death penalty bill last March, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said on Tuesday.
“The revamp will proceed,” Alvarez said when asked if his leadership will still declare vacant the positions of other majority allies who failed to support the administration measure.
The Speaker implemented the overhaul immediately after the House voted on House Bill 4727, the proposal seeking to reimpose the death penalty on drug-related cases. The ruling coalition declared seats vacant for specific positions and committee chairmanships.
Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the former president, and other anti-death penalty lawmakers was removed from their posts. Arroyo was House deputy speaker for Central Luzon.
But Alvarez said his leadership would respect the constitutional provision where a party has the right to nominate a representative to the Commission on Appointments, after Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Sato—a member of the 12-man House contingent to the powerful CA—of the Liberal Party voted against death penalty.
Meanwhile, the death penalty bill is not likely to be enacted during the first regular session of the 17th Congress that will end in June.
This came after Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, the House Majority Floor Leader, identified 14 measures to be approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives before its sine die adjournment next month.
“These bills will be approved by both chambers until May 31. This is a joint agreement between the House and the Senate,” Fariñas told reporters.
The death penalty bill that was approved by the House of Representatives last March was not included in the list.
While the House managed to approved the death penalty bill, contained in House Bill 4727 and principally authored by Speaker Alvarez, the Senate was cold to the proposal and did not include the bill in its priority agenda.
Besides Rep. Arroyo, removed from their positions last March were Sorsogon Rep. Evelina Escudero, chairman of the House committee on basic education; Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos Recto, chairman of the House committee on civil service and professional regulation; Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-Ao, chairman of the House committee on people participation; Gabriela party-list Rep. Emmi de Jesus, chairman of the House committee on poverty alleviation; ACT party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, chairman of the House committee on public information; Anak Mindanao party-list Rep. Sitti Hataman, on Muslim Affairs; Buhay Hayaang Yumabong party-list Rep. Mariano Michael Velarde, on overseas workers affairs.
Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate, on natural resources; Batanes Rep. Henedina Abad, on government reorganization; Democratic Independent Workers’ Association party-list Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, on women and gender equality; and Quezon City Rep. Christopher Belmonte, on special committee on land use.
Congress resumed its session yesterday and will adjourn sine die on June 2.
Meanwhile, Fariñas said Congress will not pass any new tax reform measure before President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address in July, in time for the opening of the second regular session of the 17th Congress.
“It is because we [the Senate and the House of Representatives] can’t finish it until May,” Farinas said.
The proposed tax reform package being pushed by the Duterte administration is still for consideration by the House commiittee on ways and means’ technical working group.
But Quirino Rep. Dakilo Cua said: “Our target is to pass the [technical working group-approved] tax package and transmit it to the Senate before the Congress goes on another break in June.”
“The bill was elevated to a technical working group before our break last March. The TWG is the one who will line by line and study the final changes and improvement. It is also expected to come up with a substitute bill,” he added.