Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Arroyo ready to certify bill repealing death penalty law: Palace (10:45 a.m.)
MANILA -- Malacañang said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is prepared to endorse a bill that would repeal Republic Act (RA) 7659 that re-imposes the capital punishment, if necessary.
To date, there has been no execution under the Arroyo government since the death penalty’'s re-imposition on Dec. 13, 1993. All executions were under the Estrada administration.
Leo Echegaray, who was convicted of rape, was the first to be executed by lethal injection on Feb. 5, 1999 while the last one executed was Alex Bartolome, also convicted of rape, on Jan. 4, 2000.
Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor said the Department of Justice (DOJ) submitted a study on death row cases prior to Arroyo’'s decision to commute all sentences on Easter Sunday.
He said the study specified that commuting the sentences is better and legal as against the practice of suspending sentences or giving reprieves to those on death row, which some sectors had been questioning and criticizing.
He however reiterated his understanding of Arroyo’'s move is that despite the commutation of all sentences, all death row cases would still have to be reviewed by the DOJ, contrary to Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye’'s earlier claim that the announcement applies to all death sentences that are already final in judgment.
Defensor assured that each cased would be studied “diligently” by the DOJ. (JMR)
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