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Tuesday, November 25, 2003
DOJ, BJMP execs push return of death penalty; Rosales bucks move
By Benjamin B. Pulta and Marie Neri
TOP officials of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Monday pushed for the lifting of the moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty.
But a ranking Catholic Church official opposed the move.
"We will recommend to revisit the death penalty and to continue with the executions of death convicts," Justice Usec. Jose C. Calida said Monday.
Justice Sec. Simeon Datumanong, for his part, jokingly said mutilation and decapitation could be adopted for convicted sexual abusers and murderers in lieu of the death penalty.
Bureau of Corrections Dionisio Santiago said, "daily executions will teach (the convicts) a lesson."
The Bureau of Corrections runs the maximum detention facility, which houses the country's death row inmates, and the lethal injection chamber, where six death convicts met their end.
Santiago said as of last Sept. 1, 2003, the Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of 13 criminals for kidnapping-for-ransom after a review of the cases.
Close to 1,000 death convicts will be put to death, Calida said Monday. Of that number, the SC affirmed the conviction of 140 criminals while the cases of 838 convicts are under appeal.
Commenting on the Catholic Church's opposition to the law re-imposing the death penalty, Calida, who is incidentally a member of the Jesus Is Lord Movement, said there is a Biblical basis for the penalty, particularly in the Old Testament.
"He who sheds blood of men by men shall his blood be shed. The wages of sin is death." Calida quoted the Bible as saying.
Rosales opposition
Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales, on the other hand, strongly opposed the re-imposition of death penalty even as crimes and kidnapping incidents are on the rise.
According to Rosales, the death penalty cannot deter crimes, particularly the resurgence in the abduction of Filipino-Chinese nationals and will also the situation of the poor more miserable.
"What kind of society is it that in order to send your children to school or to build a little house or get medicine for your sick child, husband or wife you have to kidnap somebody? I am asking the same question but facing different audiences. Bumubuwleta yan sa ating lipunan (It takes revenge on society). In other words, the fault is in society, not in the law," Archbishop Rosales said.
He said what is needed is a change in the society, specifically in the government where corruption is rampant and irregularities are condoned.
"There are some people whose conscience are numb so they can impose this kind of punishment but what's the meaning of this? That society already has lost everything and lost the hope of correcting itself," said Rosale.
Threat
Meanwhile, a group Filipino-Chinese traders have threatened to withdraw their support to President Arroyo if she will not revive the death penalty law.
Jackson Gan, spokesman of the Federation of Manpower Exporters (Fame), an affiliate of the Philippine Chinese Business Council said they would rather throw in their support to a candidate who can stop the rampant killing and kidnapping of their fellow Chinese-Filipinos.
"It is very sad that we have a President who is more interested in pursuing her political ambition and enjoys the Mandy Moore concert, rather than attending the wake of Betti Chua-Sy and taking serious steps in solving the recent rise in crimes and on focusing on future of this country," Gan said.
Gan added, "It merely shows her weakness in leadership when it comes to solving major national issues."
The Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (ECPPC) of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) likewise opposed the re-imposition of the death penalty as the group explained that nothing is wrong with the law.
"Our government has to show that it is doing something to address this problem. The death penalty is a convenient escape to hide the fact that our leaders and law enforcers have not really addressed the root as well as the immediate cause of crimes," Rodolfo Diamante, executive secretary of the CBCP-ECPPC.
While the Catholic Church recognizes that the crime situation in the country is
Serious, the death penalty cannot stop crimes.
The bishops criticized the government and told them to stop covering up its failure by passing the blame to others.
"Our society should be given samples of what could happen to would-be criminals. And yet, past and recent studies tell us that the death penalty is not an effective deterrence to the commission of crime," Diamante added.
The CBCP-ECPPC also criticized politicians who use the death penalty as a way to getting the support of the victims and their kin.
Diamante urged President Arroyo to study her decision and not to be swayed in deciding on a critical issue.
Bible phrase
Commenting on the Catholic Church's opposition to the re-imposition of the death penalty, Calida, who is incidentally a member of the Jesus Is Lord Movement, said there is Biblical basis for the imposition of the capital penalty, particularly in the Old Testament.
"He who sheds blood of men by men shall his blood be shed. The wages of sin is death," Calida quoted the Bible as saying.
(November 25, 2003 issue)
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