Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez cracks the whip.
He warned members of the majority and those in the leadership — they will be removed from their posts as deputy leaders and committee chairmen should they oppose the bill to revive death penalty.
“Pag deputy speaker ka, pangit naman na di ka sang-ayon sa administration-sponsored bill saka kapag chairman ka ng committees,” Alvarez told reporters on Wednesday.
Alvarez also met with members of the PDP-Laban Wednesday morning and called for a party vote supporting the death penalty bill.
Otherwise, Alvarez said, “they are free to resign from the party.”
“I will not force them of course,” he added.
Also read: Bumpy road for capital punishment: Lawmakers, government officials divided
Alvarez says there are about 100 PDP-Laban members at the lower chamber.
Aside from them, the Speaker said he also asked the cooperation of leaders of other political parties, who are part of the supermajority, to call for a party vote in favor of death penalty.
But some administration allies remained firm against the bill.
Among them is PDP-Laban member and Siquijor Rep. Rav Rocamora.
He believes Alvarez made such calls because he may not yet have the number to pass the measure.
“The number of undecided congressmen is still quite large,” Rocamora revealed. “They are still not yet sure. Kung maging conscience vote yun, mahirapan sila. [If it will be a conscience vote, it will be difficult for them.]”
Another death penalty critic, Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza believes the Speaker’s warning will not convince members of the supermajority, who are against the death penalty, to vote against their principle.
Atienza also warned pressing members of the supermajority may only force them to look for a new leader.
“They do not have an ideology that binds them together. This is a supermajority of convenience, I would say,” Atienza said. “Many of them will not follow that kind of arm-twisting.”
Of the 292 members of the lower chamber, 266 are in the supermajority.
