The staunch advocate of death penalty restoration is Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. His reasons are valid and meritorious.
The opposition comes from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Human Rights Information Center, and Amnesty International.
Their reasons: firstly, “that nobody can choose the kind of people we’re going to kill”; secondly, “to prevent criminals from operating, the state should enhance law enforcement”; and thirdly, “that there are imperfections in the judicial system of the country.”
This country is often referred to as the only Christian country in Asia, with almost 80 percent of its population belonging to the Roman Catholic Church.
Being a Christian country is not relevant to whether or not death penalty is revived. The Bible itself clearly states the existence and effectivity of death penalty in Exodus 21:23-25: “And he shall pay as the Judges determine, and if any mischief follows, then thou shalt give life for life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
It is not merely a matter of choosing the kind of person to be killed, because there is a process mandated by law, while a judge is tasked to interpret that law, requiring proof “beyond reasonable doubt.”
Also, death penalty will deter drug syndicates and the commission of heinous crimes.
—ARTEMIO B. CAÑA SR.,
jesusnamecana@yahoo.com