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Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Wenceslao: Continuing tug-of-war
By Bong O. Wenceslao
I understand the vehemence with which anti-crime groups are protesting Congress’ decision to abolish the death penalty. I take it that relatives of victims of heinous crimes, led by the Crusade Against Violence (CAV) and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), will hold protest actions against the move nationwide.
The most visible face of the local chapter of CAV is, of course, Thelma Chiong, mother of Jacqueline and Marijoy---victims of abduction, rape and murder. But there are other relatives of heinous crimes victims in Cebu as well who could not countenance the lowering of the death sentence imposed earlier by the court to “mere” life imprisonment.
But while pro-capital punishment groups are mourning, opponents of death penalty are now the ones that are exultant, a reversal of roles that mirrors the continuing tug-of-war on the issue. And it does not help the cause of the anti-death penalty sector any when relatives of heinous crime victims see death row inmates hailing the move.
But it would be well for pro-capital punishment groups to note that the debate on whether to impose or not the death penalty is a worldwide phenomenon, and that the Philippines is but the latest to abolish again the death penalty (the 1987 Constitution scrapped it until Republic Act 7659 was passed). The conflict is not only ours to endure.
More than half of the countries in the world, according to Amnesty International, have now abolished the death penalty “in law and in practice.” To be more specific, more than two countries a year on the average have abolished the death penalty law since 1976. And of those who retained the death penalty, many have not used it for many years.
What this shows is that there is a movement away from retributive justice and toward a restorative one. But considering the polarized setup, there is no assurance that the trend will continue. If there’s a consolation for the pro-death penalty groups, it is that in the US, the abolition of death penalty was followed by its restoration in many states.
Frankly, I understand the grief of some people over the abolition of the death penalty. But there are times when we have to open our eyes to realities and accept those we don’t have control of. And as I have pointed out, it’s not like criminals are freed with the abolition of the death penalty. They are still punished, only in a different way.
TEXTREAX. From an unidentified texter: “While the Arroyo government has abolished death penalty, political killings continue. How ironic.”
(khanwens@yahoo.com/0915-9228651/my blog: cebuano.wordpress.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 14, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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