Story by Glycerin Maepril De Vera
Strengthening the justice system is key to resolving crimes in the country, not the imposition of death penalty, said opposition senatorial bets in CNN Philippines’ senatorial forum yesterday.
Former solicitor general Florin Hilbay running under the Otso Diretso slate minced no words as he asserted that death penalty has no merit in solving the drug problem.
“Ang death penalty po ay isang maingay pero mababaw at walang kwentang sagot sa isang malalim na problema. Kahit sampung beses mong patawan ng death penalty ang drug lord kung hindi mo naman hinuhuli... [o] nahuhuli, walang kwenta ang death penalty mo,” he said.
(The death penalty is a loud yet shallow solution to a heavy problem. Even if you impose death penalty on the drug lords, as long as you are not capturing them, it’s useless.)
The reimposition of death penalty has been one of the central discussions of debate since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in 2016. Duterte vowed to reinstate the said penalty to end crimes and corruption. House Bill No. 4727 or the proposed death penalty bill is limited only to drug-related offenses, in line with the administration’s bloody campaign to end the country’s drug problem.
Duterte administration-backed candidates dismissed this sentiment, arguing that the problem on drugs will get out of hand even more if death penalty will not be reinstated.
Reelectionist Senator JV Ejercito claimed that the country has become the center for worldwide drug trade and saw death penalty as the only solution to this.
“At present, the Philippines has become the hub for international drug trade because of two things: first, our coastline is vast; we have 7,107 islands. It is difficult to guard our coastline. Second, we are only one of two countries in Asia that repealed death penalty. I would like us to reconsider death penalty only for high level of drug trafficking until the situation normalizes,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald Dela Rosa who was the key figure in the implementation of drug war shared a similar standpoint, believing that capital punishment should be imposed only for an urgent matter that is, according to him, the issue on drug trafficking.
“Meron pa ring droga[ng] nakakapasok [sa bansa]. Alam mo paano ... matatakot ang nagpapasok ng droga rito? Ibalik natin ang death penalty para sa mga drug-traffickers,” he explained.
(There are still drugs that penetrate our country. Do you know what to do in order to frighten the drug-traffickers? Impose death penalty for them.)
Dela Rosa further said that the continued entry of drugs from China impedes us from becoming a drug-free country.
“Malayo pa tayo sa ating mga pangarap na magkakaroon ng drug-free Philippines,” Dela Rosa admitted.
(We still have a long way to go before we achieve a drug-free Philippines.)
But with the number of deaths under investigation caused by the drug war ballooning to 29,000 based on PNP’s 2019 data, opposition candidates cast their doubts and disapproval on the proposed law, especially because of the faulty justice system in the country.
Given the scenario of blatant killings without due process, veteran election lawyer Romy Macalintal said that the drug war is in itself a form of death penalty.
“Ilang libo pa ang dapat patayin para lamang masugpo ‘yan? ‘Yan ba ang kinakailangan natin? [Minumungkahi mo ang] death penalty, wala pa ba tayong death penalty sa panahong ito?” he expressed.
(How many people do we have to kill to solve this drug problem? Is that what we need? While you are pushing for death penalty, isn’t the drug war considered death penalty?)
Former Bayan Muna Party-list Representative Neri Colmenares also lamented how the current justice system allows corruption to happen, enabling drug lords to escape prosecution.
“Kung hindi naman swift and sure ang justice system, pwede mong bayaran [ang] pulis, piskal [o ang] judge. Ang drug lord ay tuloy [sa] pag-droga,” he said.
(If it’s not a swift and sure justice, you can pay the police, the fiscal or the judge. The drug lord will not stop with drugs.)
Ultimately, death penalty will only target the poor and not those in power, Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano said.
“Tignan niyo ‘yong mga batas natin ngayon. May kinukulong dahil nagnakaw. Pero ‘yong bilyon-bilyong nagnakaw, nakakalaya. So ibig sabihin, papatayin mo lang ‘yong mahihirap pero hindi ‘yong mayayaman … dahil sa justice system natin,” he said.
(Check the laws today. There are convicted robbers but the big time robbers get released. Meaning, you’re only gonna kill the poor and not the rich with this justice system.)
In the case of People v. Mateo in 2004, it was found out that 70% of the death penalty verdicts were wrong.
“‘Yong 700 sa isang libo, hindi pala dapat nabigyan ng death penalty. Isipin niyo kung na-execute lahat ‘yon? Dapat hindi pala sila nabigyan ng death sentence. Mababawi pa ba natin ang buhay nila? Hindi na po,” human rights lawyer Chel Diokno said.
(Out of 1,000, 700 were wrongly convicted of death penalty. Do you think we can still bring them back to life? Not anymore.)
While Hugpong ng Pagbabago candidate Raffy Alunan is pro-death penalty for drug trafficking and other heinous crimes like plunder and corruption, he also posited that reforms must be introduced into the criminal justice system.
Sharing the same views as Alunan’s, fellow Hugpong ng Pagbabago bet Glenn Chong wanted to advance the same reformation to better support the penalty.
“We propose a death penalty that is only handled by the courts -- not any person outside the judicial system. We propose a whole reform ... in our justice system that will serve justice fast and make the system effective,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
But for Hilbay, the proper implementation of the law is enough to solve crimes and there is no need to impose death penalty again.
“Ang solusyon po sa problema ng kriminalidad ay isang efficient, predictable, and affordable na justice system,” he said.
(The solution for the problem of criminality is an efficient, predictable, and affordable justice system.)
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