Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante said the filing of the bill restoring the capital punishment will be his first legislative act for 2007 because this has been dictated on by the sudden rise in the commission of heinous crimes in the country.

A Bible preacher, Abante revealed that he is one of the 22 solons who voted against the Malacañang-certified bill that called for the repeal of the death penalty law, following an intense lobby from various human rights and religious organizations led by the Catholic Church.

Ironically, the restoration of the death penalty law was passed by Congress in the early 1990s following the endorsement from then President Corazon C. Aquino, a devout Catholic believer.

Aquino called on lawmakers to support the death penalty measure while attending the funeral wake of sisters Nikki Ann and Angel Nobleza, aged 8 and 6, who were brutally raped then stoned to death by a tricycle driver in San Carlos City, Pangasinan in 1991.

It was reported that the assailant, Alexander Saplan, had been pardoned despite the double- life sentence imposed on him by the Court.

Last Wednesday, Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers (Lakas, Surigao del Norte) challenged his colleagues to push for the restoration of the death sentence, saying that the rise in the commission on heinous crimes, particularly brutal murders, is an indication that criminals have "lost their fear of the law."

Reacting to Barbers’ call, Abante said he wholeheartedly supports the death sentence. He appealed to the Senate to join this cause.

"This time, let us think about how we could stop senseless killings by putting a deterrent against its commission. This time, we don’t have to be politically correct but we ought to be morally correct," the Manila solon told reporters during the Friday Balitaan Media Forum at Hotel Rembrandt, Quezon City.

Abante said the rise in killings committed by either leftist or rightist liquidation squads could be attributed to repeal of the death penalty law.

It would be noted that Abante heads the House panel that strongly batted for the abolition of the capital punishment.

Meanwhile, Abante urged the rebel New People’s Army and "other enemies of the government" to give up their arms as the "best gift they can offer our country."

Abante’s appeal was seconded by Reps. Isidoro Real (Lakas, Zamboanga del Sur) and Federico Sandoval II (LP, Malabon Navotas) who challenged the NPA to reciprocate the four-day ceasefire declared by government.

Real and Sandoval said the temporary truce declared by President Arroyo demonstrated government’s intense desire for peace.