‘Don’t meddle in death penalty debate’
Credit to Author: CATHERINE S. VALENTE, TMT| Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2019 16:42:39 +0000
THE VOLUNTEERS Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) told Catholic bishops not to meddle with the issue of the reimposition of the death penalty, insisting that it was the job of Congress.
This was after the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) claimed that the death penalty was not the solution to the problem of illegal drugs in the country.
“Don’t meddle with the death penalty issue and let Congress do [its] job,” the VACC said in a statement.
The CBCP on Monday urged the government to first look at other aspects of the criminal justice system before the reimposition of the death penalty for drug smugglers.
“The penalty is the last stage in the criminal justice system… so why do they want to [first make changes]with the penalty?” Rudy Diamante, executive secretary of CBCP Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care, said in an interview.
“It (the death penalty) has never been effective and they know that…They know very well deep in their hearts, it is not the solution. Killing has never been the solution,” he added.
But the VACC insisted that the capital punishment was the best deterrent to heinous crimes.
“You should remember that the VACC is primarily composed of surviving victims of heinous crimes and the immediate family members of victims murdered through heinous crimes. The VACC believes that since there is no clear substitute that would effectively give justice for the life or lives taken by these perpetrators of heinous crimes, then the re-imposition of the Death Penalty is the closest thing for getting justice for the victims of heinous crimes,” the VACC said.
“The death penalty is not only for drug-related crimes but also for other heinous crimes,” the anti-crime group added.
Citing information from local and international anti-illegal drug enforcers, the VACC said the Philippines was “now the most active transshipment point of illegal drugs mainly due to the fact of the absence of the death penalty.”
“To date, there are 56 countries in the world that have the Death Penalty in their justice and penal system,” it said.
The VACC has been urging President Rodrigo Duterte to reinstate the death penalty, noting the “rampant killings” in the country.
Lawmakers and Duterte see death penalty as a deterrent to crimes, but the Commission on Human Rights argues that capital punishment does not lower crime rates.
A bill reinstating the death penalty has made it past the third and final reading at the House of Representatives. At the Senate, it has yet to be tackled at the committee level.
The 1987 Constitution abolished the death penalty but allowed Congress to bring it back for heinous crimes. It was brought back under the administration of President Fidel Ramos and abolished again under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
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