DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/10 March) — Forty-nine of Mindanao’s representatives to Congress voted in favor while 12 voted no when the House of Representatives passed House Bill 4727 on third and final reading last Tuesday.
Nationwide, a total of 217 representatives voted for the bill, 54 voted against and one abstained.
Mindanao has a total of 66 representatives in the House of Representatives, 59 of them representing districts and seven representing party list groups.. One of the district representatives, Sulu Rep. Tupay Loong, passed away on June 30, 2016.
The House of Representatives passed on third and final reading House Bill 4727 imposing the death penalty for drug-related crimes. Photo from www.congress.gov.ph
The controversial HB 4727 under the leadership of Mindanawon House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez seeks to reimpose death penalty for drug-related crimes.
The reimposition of the death penalty is a campaign promise of President Rodrigo Duterte, the country’s 16th President and the first Mindanawon to lead the nation.
Under the proposed law, judges are given the option to impose the death penalty for importation of dangerous drugs; sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of dangerous drugs; maintenance of a den, dive or resort; manufacture of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals; misappropriation, misapplication or failure to account for confiscated, seized or surrendered dangerous drugs; and planting of evidence.
The bill as approved has excluded rape, plunder and treason from the crimes proposed to be punished with death by hanging, lethal injection or firing squad. The Senate will now deliberate on the bill.
Of the 12 who voted against the measure, seven are district representatives: Lawrence Fortun of the 1st district of Agusan del Norte; Bukidnon’s Ma. Lourdes Acosa-Alba (1st district); Florencio Flores, Jr . (2nd) and Manuel Zubiri (3rd); Dinagat Islands’ Kaka Bag-ao; Prospero Pichay, Jr. of Surigao del Sur’s 1st district; and Isagani Amatong of the 3rd district of Zamboanga del Norte.
Five of the seven party-list representatives who are Mindanawons also voted no: Akbayan’s Tom Villarin, Anak Mindanao’s Makmod Mending, Jr. and Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman; Anakpawis’ Ariel Casilao, and Bayan Muna’s Carlos Isagani T. Zarate. Kusug-Tausug’s Shernee Abubakar Tan of Sulu voted yes.
Four Mindanawon representatives were not on the vote list released by the House of Representatives. Among the four are Surigao del Norte’s Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs.
But Manila Times quoted Barbers as saying he voted yes because “what we need is a firm grasp of reality and uncompromising action to save our children from certain catastrophe.”
SunStar.com.ph quoted Barbers as saying he voted yes because “I am fully aware of the dangers, as well as the irreparable damage, that this menace has brought our people, our children and how the entire future of our country has been compromised.”
Here is how Mindanao’s representatives and party-list representatives who are Mindanawons, voted on the death penalty bill. (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)
THE MINDANAO VOTE ON DEATH PENALTY
| PROVINCE |
REPRESENTATIVE |
VOTE |
| Agusan del Norte 1 |
Fortun, Lawrence H. |
No |
| Agusan del Norte 2 |
Amante, Erlpe John M. |
Yes |
| Agusan del Sur 1 |
Plaza, Ma. Valentina G. |
Yes |
| Agusan del Sur 2 |
Plaza-Mellana, Evelyn |
Yes |
| Basilan |
Akbar, Jum |
not listed |
| Bukidnon 1 |
Acosta-Alba, Ma. Lourdes |
No |
| Bukidnon 2 |
Flores, Florencio Jr, T. |
No |
| Bukidnon 3 |
Zubiri, Manuel F. |
No |
| Bukidnon 4 |
Roque, Rogelio Neil P. |
Yes |
| Camiguin |
Romualdo, Xavier Jesus D. |
Yes |
| Compostela Valley 1 |
Zamora, Ma. Carmen S. |
Yes |
| Compostela Valley 2 |
Gonzaga, Ruwel Peter S. |
Yes |
| Davao del Norte 1 |
Alvarez, Pantaleon D. |
Yes |
| Davao del Norte 2 |
Floirendo, Antonio Jr. |
Yes |
| Davao del Sur |
Cagas, Mercedes C. |
Yes |
| Davao Occidental |
Bautista-Bandigan, Lorna P. |
Yes |
| Davao Oriental 1 |
Nunez-Malanyaon, Corazon |
Yes |
| Davao Oriental 2 |
Almario, Joel Mayo Z. |
Yes |
| Dinagat Islands |
Bag-ao , Kaka J. |
No |
| Lanao del Norte 1 |
Dimaporo, Mohamad Khalid Q. |
Yes |
| Lanao del Norte 2 |
Dimaporo, Abdullah |
Yes |
| Lanao del Sur 1 |
Adiong, Ansaruddin, A. |
Yes |
| Lanao del Sur 2 |
Papandayan, Mauyag Jr. B. |
Yes |
| Maguindanao 1 |
Sema, Bai Sandra A. |
Yes |
| Maguindanao 2 |
Mangudadatu, Zajid G. |
Yes |
| Misamis Occidental 1 |
Almonte, Jorge T. |
Yes |
| Misamis Occidental 2 |
Oaminal, Henry S. |
Yes |
| Misamis Oriental 1 |
Unabia Peter |
Yes |
| Misamis Oriental 2 |
Uy, Juliette T. |
Yes |
| North Cotabato 1 |
Sacdalan, Jesus N. |
Yes |
| North Cotabato 2 |
Catamco, Nancy A. |
Yes |
| North Cotabato 3 |
Tejada, Jose L. |
Yes |
| Sarangani |
Pacquiao, Rogelio D. |
Yes |
| South Cotabato 1 |
Acharon, Pedro B. |
Yes |
| South Cotabato 2 |
Hernandez, Ferdinand L. |
Yes |
| Sultan Kudarat 1 |
Mangudadatu, Suharto T. |
not listed |
| Sultan Kudarat 2 |
Suansing, Horacio Jr. P |
Yes |
| Sulu 1 |
Loong, Tupay T. |
Died 30 June 2016 |
| Sulu 2 |
Arbison, Munir M. |
Yes |
| Surigao del Norte 1 |
Matugas, Francisco Jose II F. |
Yes |
| Surigao del Norte 2 |
Barbers, Robert Ace S. |
not listed |
| Surigao del Sur 1 |
Pichay, Prospero Jr. A. |
No |
| Surigao del Sur 2 |
Pimentel, Johnny T. |
Yes |
| Tawi-tawi |
Sahali, Ruby M. |
Yes |
| Zamboanga del Norte 1 |
Jalosjos, Seth Fredrick P. |
Yes |
| Zamboanga del Norte 2 |
Labadlabad, Glona G. |
Yes |
| Zamboanga del Norte 3 |
Amatong, Isagani S. |
No |
| Zamboanga del Sur 1 |
Yu, Divina Grace C. |
Yes |
| Zamboanga del Sur 2 |
Cerilles, Aurora Enerio |
not listed |
| Zamboanga Sibugay 1 |
Palma Wilter II W. |
Yes |
| Zamboanga Sibugay 2 |
Hofer, Ann K. |
Yes |
| CITIES |
|
|
| Cagayan de Oro 1 |
Uy, Rolando |
Yes |
| Cagayan de Oro 2 |
Rodriguez, Maximo, Jr. B. |
Yes |
| Davao City 1 |
Nograles, Karlo Alexei B. |
Yes |
| Davao City 2 |
Garcia-Albano, Mylene J. |
Yes |
| Davao City 3 |
Ungab, ALberto I. |
Yes |
| Iligan City |
Siao, Frederick W. |
Yes |
| Zamboanga City 1 |
Lobregat, Celso L. |
Yes |
| Zamboanga City 2 |
Dalipe, Manuel Jose M. |
Yes |
| PARTY LIST |
|
|
| Akbayan |
Villarin, Tom S. |
No |
| Anak Mindanao |
Mending, Makmod Jr. |
No |
| Anak Mindanao |
Turabin-Hataman, Sitti Djalia |
No |
| Anakpawis |
Casilao, Ariel |
No |
| Bayan Muna |
Zarate, Carlos Isagani T. |
No |
| Kusug-Tausug |
Tan, Shernee Abubakar |
Yes |
| PBA |
Nograles, Jericho Jonas B. |
Yes |
