DOCTORS save lives, lawyers defend the helpless while God forgives sinners.
Universal truths which shaped the lives for many of the common man worthy to remember because today, in the halls of the Philippine Senate, discussions of the return of the death penalty have begun, signaling the start of thunderous a debate as we an impending uproar.
A push and pull of ideals will surface with the clamor for its return for heinous and drug related crimes where people argue it is alright to kill the proven scum of the earth.
The Senate discussed the death penalty while in the midst of investigation over extra judicial killings, which have caught the attention of the world with over almost 4,000 deaths.
The death penalty is eyed for those drug convicts still directing the trade inside their prison cells, something which has opened a Pandora’s Box of sorts.
Debates will ensue as priests will protest and the pro life groups appalled.
How bad can you become to be given death in a platter. One must be truly scum to be meted death by an entire court. If that is so, is it okay?
Does it make the death righteous?
These questions which will resonate when the decision on the death penalty arises after decades, we are sure.
Death penalty was abolished in 1987 and reintroduced in 1993 covering crimes of murder, rape, kidnapping, possession of firearms and drug trafficking.
In 1999, the country was one in the death of Leo Echegaray who was found guilty of raping his 10–year–old stepdaughter. Echegaray was the first Filipino meted the penalty under the watch of President Joseph Estrada.
Echegaray was executed via lethal injection, witnesses reported his last words to have been "Sambayanang Pilipino, patawarin ako sa kasalanang ipinaratang ninyo sa akin. Pilipino, pinatay ng kapwa Pilipino. (People of the Philippines, forgive me of the sin which you have accused me. A Filipino, killed by fellow Filipinos).
After the death of Echegaray, the death penalty was suspended in 2006.
The wish of death beckons for those at the bottom of the barrel of humanity, but are we ready to scrape them out?