A WOMEN’S advocate group said that death penalty is not the best solution to address the increasing number of rape cases in the country.
The call for the revival of the death penalty was once again renewed after the murder of 16-year-old high school student Christine Lee Silawan in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. Jonas Martel Bueno, considered as a person of interest in the killing of Silawan, was arrested on Friday evening, March 15, here in Davao City.
Davao City Police Office (DCPO) also reported that there were already 38 rape cases in the city, including 27 minors from January to March 12, this year.
Despite this, Gabriela Southern Mindanao chairperson Jean Lindo said that reviving death penalty will do no good to the country.
“Evidence-based studies demonstrate that those countries without death penalty have lower crime rates than those with death penalty. In other words, death penalty is not a deterrent to crime,” Lindo told Sunstar in a text message.
She added that, “death penalty per se cannot help the families of victims”.
Lindo said the country’s flawed justice system should be addressed first.
“The government should be more vigilant, for instance, the prosecution of cases should be seriously pursued,” she said, adding, “We should not support rape jokes, sexism and misogyny because they all lead to the culture of rape.”
Meanwhile, former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief and senatoriable Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said he will push for the death penalty’s revival if elected this midterm election.
“I will push for the revival of death penalty. Although it is hard to include all sorts of heinous crimes, since people would criticize that only the poor and (those who) cannot afford a lawyer will be the subject of it,” dela Rosa said in Cebuano during the Parada Dabawenyo yesterday.
DCPO spokesperson Senior Insp. Maria Teresita Gaspan said that the police agency will leave it up to the legislators if they deem it necessary to revive death penalty.
“Who are we to defy the order? If they think it is appropriate to revive it, then as one of the implementing agency, we will respect their decision,” Gaspan said. (RLL)