Mixed Messages on the Death Penalty in Indonesia's Drug War

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWzOmYhoFp-0HE_DrROfCTJOO6_RcSXhSNfc_s7-Vc73quAPAOEzVRF2lTYFDYbs5mt974YBVQdnFzxO3Fj8lYP-5uFjvqzUIBdA1QMDxszJaxC85DY4bTlQNv1KbXLRe-mn53YZGRa0/s1600/Duterte+Widodo+Indonesia+9+SEPT+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Philippine President R. Duterte (left) and Indonesian President J. Widodo" border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTWzOmYhoFp-0HE_DrROfCTJOO6_RcSXhSNfc_s7-Vc73quAPAOEzVRF2lTYFDYbs5mt974YBVQdnFzxO3Fj8lYP-5uFjvqzUIBdA1QMDxszJaxC85DY4bTlQNv1KbXLRe-mn53YZGRa0/s400/Duterte+Widodo+Indonesia+9+SEPT+2016.jpg" title="Philippine President R. Duterte (left) and Indonesian President J. Widodo" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philippine President R. Duterte (left) and Indonesian President J. Widodo</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesian authorities are sending mixed messages on the death penalty. The country abstained on a UN resolution for its abolition, and the president hinted at ending it, but some senior political figures are calling for the increased execution of drug offenders.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On December 19, 2016, Indonesia was one of 31 countries that abstained from voting on a UN resolution that called for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, the Jakarta Post reports. The UN has voted on a resolution on abolishing the death penalty every 2 years since 2008. Indonesia has abstained on every such resolution since 2012; prior to this, it had consistently voted <i>against </i>the measures.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Human rights advocates, including the Human Rights Working Group, praised the government's abstention, as Indonesia has built a reputation as a prolific executioner of non-violent drug offenders under President Joko Widodo.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Between 2010 and 2014, despite numerous people being sentenced to death in Indonesia, no executions took place [NB: 5 executions were indeed carried out in Indonesia in 2013: <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.fr/2013/03/indonesia-execution-of-adami-wilson.html" target="_blank">Adami Wilson</a>, <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.fr/2013/05/indonesia-executes-three-murderers.html" target="_blank">Suryadi Swabhuana, Jurit bin Abdullah, Ibrahim bin Ujang</a>, <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.fr/2013/11/indonesia-fifth-execution-confirms.html" target="_blank">Muhammad Abdul Hafeez</a>. No executions were carried out between 2009 and 2012. -- DPN]. This changed after Widodo entered office in October 2014, since which 18 people have been executed - all for drug trafficking.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Many of those executed were foreigners whose respective governments engaged in futile diplomatic efforts to reduce their citizens' sentences. At least 2 death row inmates, including one who was executed last year, accused law enforcement of torture during their interrogation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite Widodo's renewal of the death penalty, he recently hinted at potential reform. In an interview with ABC News in November 2016, the president said, "We are very open to options. I don't know when but we want to move towards that direction [of abolishing capital punishment]."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While Widodo's remarks suggest that human rights progress may be on the horizon for Indonesia, statements from other authorities paint a far darker picture of the future of the country's drug policy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo stated in early December that executions were planned "in the near future", and that the state would be prioritising people convicted of drug-related crimes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In December, Budi Waseso - chief of the country's National Narcotics Agency (BNN) - told members of a new regional counter-narcotic taskforce, "Don't hesitate to shoot drug traffickers, drug dealers and drug users. Anyone involved in drug trafficking should be punished harshly, including traitors in the BNN body".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With echoes of President Rodrigo Duterte's calls for the slaughter of alleged drug offenders in the Philippines, Waseso's remarks suggest that a striking intensification of the Indonesian approach to drug policy may occur.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesian NGOs have repeatedly urged the government to officially end the death penalty, pointing out the lack of evidence for its supposed deterrent effect, and arguing that it contributes to societal harms.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ardhany Suryadarma, Policy Manager for the EU-funded project, Asia Action on Harm Reduction, proclaimed: "These executions only exacerbate the stigmatisation of people who use drugs, driving them underground, and away from [harm reduction interventions, which] ... keep individuals safer and curb the HIV epidemic."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The country has, seemingly, reached a crossroads, and the next step that it takes in regard to the death penalty will clarify its place in a region that is increasingly divided on the matter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For example, Malaysia seems to have introduced a secret moratorium on capital punishment for drug-related offences.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Conversely, President Duterte's state-mandated violence against people allegedly involved with drugs has left at least 6,000 people dead in the Philippines since July 2016. Despite international condemnation, his government advocates the continuation of his lethal campaign.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are clearly conflicting ideologies between different authorities in Indonesia, and it is unclear which path the government will take. The country is currently at a crossroads: will Widodo stay true to his word and move towards adherence to the UN resolution? Will Indonesia return to its traditional approach of state-mandated executions? Or will it begin implementing extrajudicial killings as seen in the Philippines?</div><br />Source: talkingdrugs.org, January 10, 2017<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Mixed Messages on the Death Penalty in Indonesia's Drug War

Philippine President R. Duterte (left) and Indonesian President J. Widodo Indonesian authorities are sending mixed messages on the death pen...

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'Philippines could go down as world's new top executioner' - Atienza

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ97QIqHByfr5WJ2iMphjqbb9rBLa0nVCHwRSkSCOa85r-x5JeLolRm3IynpgQXZ9yRo9TBVQQvsouM8zHjwZ5zICGqVPRCEIc-9pJahngvCfuFQ2bLoIsG6zAEuMCe8Wrfkm56QelfRA/s1600/President+Rodrigo+Duterte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte" border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ97QIqHByfr5WJ2iMphjqbb9rBLa0nVCHwRSkSCOa85r-x5JeLolRm3IynpgQXZ9yRo9TBVQQvsouM8zHjwZ5zICGqVPRCEIc-9pJahngvCfuFQ2bLoIsG6zAEuMCe8Wrfkm56QelfRA/s400/President+Rodrigo+Duterte.jpg" title="Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The real problem is clearly corruption," says Rep. Lito Atienza</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>The wish of President Rodrigo Duterte to execute 5 to 6 convicts daily would plunge the country into the dark ages of "savagery" and make the country a top executioner, a pro-life solon said. </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a statement, Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza said the President's wish to have 5 to 6 criminals put to death every day, or more than 2,000 every year, under the death penalty would put the country into "an unprecedented era of darkness and medieval savagery."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Atienza said daily executions would make the predominantly Catholic country the world's top executioner, worse that non-Catholic countries such as China, Iran and Pakistan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"If the President had his way, our predominantly Catholic country could go down as the world's new top executioner, ahead of non-Catholic countries such as China, Iran and Pakistan," Atienza said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last month, Duterte said there would be daily executions of drug convicts once death penalty is restored.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Restore it and I will execute criminals every day - 5 or 6. That's for real," Duterte said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Atienza said moves in Congress to restore death penalty are an "anathema to our celebration of life."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We Filipinos celebrate life. In fact, we celebrate life so much that despite our usual troubles, we've been persistently rated among the happiest people in the world," Atienza said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Atienza said it is bad enough that even without the death penalty, the country is hounded with a spate of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug criminals at the height of the administration's bloody war on drugs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We do not want to be brutalized by constant bloodshed. We Filipinos loathe killings, whether judicial or extrajudicial, as much as we detest violent crime," Atienza said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It is bad enough we already have a virtual death penalty in place, with the unabated summary executions of alleged suspects sans the benefit of a full and fair trial," he added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Atienza said the real problem is rampant corruption in the criminal justice system, as revealed in a House inquiry on the Bilibid drug trade and the millions of alleged kickbacks for Bureau of Correction officials.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The real problem is clearly corruption. The problem is not with the severity of the punishment for crime. In fact, corruption is the primary reason why many felons are not getting caught, and not getting punished, and this in turn has only abetted even more crime," Atienza said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bill is expected to undergo plenary debates under second reading once Congress resumes from its Christmas break on Jan. 16.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bill hurdled the justice committee on Dec. 7.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bill seeks to impose death penalty for more than 20 heinous offenses, such as rape with homicide, kidnapping for ransom, and arson with death.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Duterte's staunch ally in Congress, filed the bill seeking to reimpose the death penalty after former President now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo abolished capital punishment in 2006 for its failure to deter crime.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Alvarez filed the bill pursuant to President Duterte's campaign promise of returning capital punishment against heinous criminals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Philippine society is left with no option but to deal with certain grievous offenders in a manner commensurate to the gravity, perversity, atrociousness and repugnance of their crimes," according to the bill. Duterte won the elections on a campaign promise to restore death penalty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Alvarez said Congress would look into the cheapest way of carrying out the death penalty, either by firing squad, lethal injection or by hanging.</div><br />Source: newsinfo.inquirer.net, January 3, 2017<br /><br /><br /><h2>Philippines: Pro-life coalition formed vs death penalty revival</h2><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Pro-life advocates have formed a coalition to oppose moves by the House of Representatives to revive capital punishment in line with President Duterte's tough stance against criminality, opposition lawmakers bared yesterday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said there has been a "widening coalition of legislators, religious ministers both from the Catholic Church and other religious denominations, civil society and NGO networks, and college students and youth" opposing the reimposition of the death penalty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The broad coalition of anti-death penalty advocates will sustain the campaign against the proposed reimposition of capital punishment until the archaic proposal is finally consigned to the legislative dustbin," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lagman stressed that death penalty is not a solution to criminality and the drug menace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The prevention of heinous crimes involves a complex and multidimensional process relative to problems ranging from poverty and inequity to police corruption and brutality, inept and discriminatory prosecution, and flawed judicial system," he explained.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiw6i03j9M6-HN8Itgq4xKTp2wAdmj1rl33Wd23jKcDb0TTR3KNOoKB4cd6E-MPrd1F3ZAObRZ5Tb_jeanvCQsJAq3FqstVL51eWM1kxFPgvP8UKF5vUW1ABYQCxe40q9r6Eoq7d3P4A/s1600/1%252C800+drugs-related+killings+recorded+since+president+Duterte+took+office+seven+weeks+ago.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Summary and drugs-related killings in the Philippines" border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiw6i03j9M6-HN8Itgq4xKTp2wAdmj1rl33Wd23jKcDb0TTR3KNOoKB4cd6E-MPrd1F3ZAObRZ5Tb_jeanvCQsJAq3FqstVL51eWM1kxFPgvP8UKF5vUW1ABYQCxe40q9r6Eoq7d3P4A/s400/1%252C800+drugs-related+killings+recorded+since+president+Duterte+took+office+seven+weeks+ago.jpg" title="Summary and drugs-related killings in the Philippines" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"It is bad enough we already have a virtual death penalty in place, with unabated<br />summary executions of alleged suspects sans the benefit of a full and fair trial."</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">"All of these negative factors contribute to the fallibility of human justice, which ensnare to the gallows even the innocent. Consequently, punishment alone is not the solution to crimes," he added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another opposition legislator, Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay party-list, also hit Duterte's plan to execute through lethal injection 5 to 6 convicts a day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It will sink the Philippines into an unprecedented era of darkness and medieval savagery. If the President had his way, our predominantly Catholic country could go down as the world's new top executioner, ahead of non-Catholic countries such as China, Iran and Pakistan," Atienza said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Duterte's execution plan means that more than 2,000 will be undergoing state-sanctioned killings per year. Compare this to the 1,634 convicts executed in 25 countries around the world in 2015 recorded by Amnesty International (AI).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Excluding China, only 3 countries - Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia - were responsible for nearly 90 % of the executions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Iran executed 977 convicts by hanging in 2015, Pakistan put 326 to death by hanging, while Saudi Arabia killed 158 by beheading. The number of executions in China is regarded a state secret.</div><br />Source: Philippine Star, January 3, 2017<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JBVXEBZLP3WKW" target="_blank">DONATE!</a></b></div><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_blank"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/fr_FR/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /></div></form><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>

'Philippines could go down as world's new top executioner' - Atienza

"The real problem is clearly corruption," says Rep. Lito Atienza The wish of President Rodrigo Duterte to execute 5 to 6 convicts ...

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Philippines: A moral, ethical issue for our people

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-sjP1LRymXP7DA6y7GXHOiwI1gpD_jv2Z7bXXCk94fjdYp07j6dzT4HGlc76g4raj7lwR_fkhFsNrKuHxvm4bMXbKB9xH8YmrTNeFaZWkp_Cj519ziB93gSYWswsM1Og90T4K1J-le8/s1600/Philippines+police+officers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-sjP1LRymXP7DA6y7GXHOiwI1gpD_jv2Z7bXXCk94fjdYp07j6dzT4HGlc76g4raj7lwR_fkhFsNrKuHxvm4bMXbKB9xH8YmrTNeFaZWkp_Cj519ziB93gSYWswsM1Og90T4K1J-le8/s400/Philippines+police+officers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the ongoing discussion on the death penalty, which President Duterte wants to return so as to strengthen the rule of law, it is useful to note that the world - and the Philippines with it - has long debated this issue in the United Nations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1966, the UN General Assembly, of which the Philippines is a founding member, adopted the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, make up what is known as the International Bill of Human Rights. The Philippines signed the ICCPR on December 19, 1966, and ratified it on October 23, 1986.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 1989, the General Assembly adopted the Second Protocol on Civil and Political Rights, calling on all states to abolish the death penalty. The Protocol was a treaty signed by 83 states, including the Philippines. The Philippines signed the Protocol on September 20, 2006, and ratified it on September 20, 2007.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In between these 2 international agreements, the Philippines became the 1st Asian country to abolish the death penalty when the nation ratified the Constitution in 1987, but Congress could reimpose it should the need arise. In 1993, such a law was passed to address the rising criminality in the country. 7 convicts were executed in 1999, followed by a moratorium in observance of the Catholic Church's "Jubilee Year." In 2003, 2 men were about to be executed when new evidence came up that exonerated the 2.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All the while, the Commission on Human Rights vehemently opposed efforts to reimpose the death penalty. It said it was not convinced that the death penalty is the answer to rising criminality. The proper response, it said, lies in effective law enforcement, quick and impartial delivery of justice, and a responsive penal system. "To mete out to criminals the very final and irrevocable and inhuman verdict of death is tantamount to punishing them for the failure of the system," it declared.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Today we are again in the middle of debate on the death penalty. Right after he won the presidential election last May, President Duterte said he wanted Congress to restore the death penalty - by hanging - for convicts involved in illegal drugs, gun-for-hire syndicates, and for those who commit "heinous crimes" like rapists and robbers who kill their victims.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We are also in the middle of a nationwide anti-drug campaign in which thousands have already been killed, many allegedly for resisting arrest - moving some to ask if there is still need for a death penalty to discourage criminals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The critical debate on this issue will soon be taking place in the halls of Congress. Along with all the legal arguments and all the Philippines' commitments to the international community, the Church has also weighed in against the ancient system of "a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life." More than a legal issue, it will be a moral and ethical one which will determine what we really are as a people.</div><br />Source: tempo.com.ph, Editorial, December 30, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Philippines: A moral, ethical issue for our people

In the ongoing discussion on the death penalty, which President Duterte wants to return so as to strengthen the rule of law, it is useful to...

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Youths among dead as Philippine gunmen kill seven in 'drugs den'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiw6i03j9M6-HN8Itgq4xKTp2wAdmj1rl33Wd23jKcDb0TTR3KNOoKB4cd6E-MPrd1F3ZAObRZ5Tb_jeanvCQsJAq3FqstVL51eWM1kxFPgvP8UKF5vUW1ABYQCxe40q9r6Eoq7d3P4A/s1600/1%252C800+drugs-related+killings+recorded+since+president+Duterte+took+office+seven+weeks+ago.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiw6i03j9M6-HN8Itgq4xKTp2wAdmj1rl33Wd23jKcDb0TTR3KNOoKB4cd6E-MPrd1F3ZAObRZ5Tb_jeanvCQsJAq3FqstVL51eWM1kxFPgvP8UKF5vUW1ABYQCxe40q9r6Eoq7d3P4A/s400/1%252C800+drugs-related+killings+recorded+since+president+Duterte+took+office+seven+weeks+ago.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Since Duterte entered office in June, more than 5,000 people have<br />been killed in his war on drugs, some 2,000 at the hands of the<br />police and a further 3,000 by vigilante groups."</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">MANILA (Reuters) - Three minors were among seven people shot dead by suspected vigilantes in the Philippines at a house storing illegal narcotics, police said on Thursday, in the latest killings during a bloody and murky war on drugs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Two unknown gunmen arrived on motorcycles and entered what police called a drugs den north of the capital Manila late on Wednesday. They opened fire on those inside, killing five instantly before fleeing, according to a police report, which said two other victims died before reaching the hospital.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Four of those killed were teenagers, two of them 15, one 16 and one 18. The killings come as the government of President Rodrigo Duterte prepares legislation to put to Congress to lower the age of criminal liability to nine from 15.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">More than 6,100 people have been killed in the past six months during Duterte's controversial war on drugs, about a third in police operations and others classified as deaths under investigation. Police say killings during counter-narcotics operations were in self-defense.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The crackdown, the core plank of Duterte's election campaign, has been condemned internationally and has created tension between the Philippines and key allies and donors, among them the European Union, United States and <a href="https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/12/philippines-duterte-calls-u-n-rights-official-idiot-murder-probe-call/" target="_blank">United Nations</a>. He has praised China for staying out of it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Duterte has hit back with stunning rebukes and says he is willing to "rot in jail" to rid the Philippines of a drugs problem he initially vowed to solve within three to six months. He says the scourge was bigger than he first thought.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a television interview on Thursday, Duterte said the drugs war would not end soon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Until the last pusher is out of the street... until the last drugs lord is killed, this drug campaign would continue to the last day of my term," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Killings by vigilantes have occurred often and the authorities have been accused by rights groups of hiring assassins to kill suspects.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Duterte vehemently denies police are in cahoots with vigilantes and has said drugs gangs are killing rivals and silencing informants and it was taking place long before he took office.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Source: Reuters, Neil Jerome Morales, Martin Petty, December 29, 2016<br /><br /><br /><h2>Duterte’s warning to corrupt Filipinos: ‘I threw a kidnapper out a helicopter before’</h2><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">IN yet <a href="https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/12/philippines-duterte-publicly-admits-killing-people/" target="_blank">another public confession of a summary execution</a>, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday claimed he had once thrown a suspected kidnapper out of a helicopter mid-flight during his time as Davao city mayor.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His admission was a warning to corrupt officials who he threatened would suffer the same fate in the government’s anti-corruption drive, referring to how he dealt with criminals in the past, the Philippine Star reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“If you are corrupt I will fetch you with a helicopter and I will throw you out on the way to Manila,” Duterte was quoted as saying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I have done that before, why should I not do it again?”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Duterte made the threat against corrupt officials during a speech at the Camarines Sur provincial capitol following his visit Typhoon Nina-hit disaster areas. He said much like his war on drugs, the anti-corruption campaign will be the main focus during his six-year term.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the Philippine Star, the president described the incident where he pursued the kidnappers of a Chinese individual who was tortured despite receiving ransom for his release.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said he had then ordered the pilot to fly at the right height before kicking the kidnapper off the helicopter so as to not cause a commotion from the body’s splatter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYWpnpaTO1CmdF0RbnR580AWSGiQ55jM2jnn3hD-ltSOXPpKzqJ8BQpayMGvIZxJe2cqONDnwtAydncf4Jken41KnoHm0ZkdghRSQOuquagm0FpldRmKWkPUASxi1kD9oWeyMc-eGcQw/s1600/Rodrigo+Duterte+in+Jakarta%2527s+State+Palace+9+SEPT+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="President Rodrigo Duterte" border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYWpnpaTO1CmdF0RbnR580AWSGiQ55jM2jnn3hD-ltSOXPpKzqJ8BQpayMGvIZxJe2cqONDnwtAydncf4Jken41KnoHm0ZkdghRSQOuquagm0FpldRmKWkPUASxi1kD9oWeyMc-eGcQw/s400/Rodrigo+Duterte+in+Jakarta%2527s+State+Palace+9+SEPT+2016.jpg" title="President Rodrigo Duterte" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Rodrigo Duterte</td></tr></tbody></table>Earlier this month, the firebrand leader, who was once dubbed ‘The Punisher’ for meting out vigilante justice against hardcore criminals, said he <a href="https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/12/philippines-duterte-publicly-admits-killing-people/" target="_blank">personally killed suspected criminals</a> during his time as mayor.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The president, now facing international heat for his administration’s violent war on drugs, said he conducted the killings himself to set an example for the police under his watch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys (police) that if I can do it why can’t you,” he was quoted by the AFP as saying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“And I’d go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble also. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The White House said boasts by Duterte that he used to ride around on his motorcycle in search of criminals to put down are “deeply troubling“, while the <a href="https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/12/philippines-duterte-calls-u-n-rights-official-idiot-murder-probe-call/" target="_blank">United Nations human rights commission has urged the Philippines to launch a murder investigation</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Duterte served as Davao City mayor for nearly two decades. His rule was tainted by hundreds of extrajudicial killings and most, if not all, of the murders have been linked to him by critics.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to the allegations, the murders were carried out by the Davao Death Squad (DDS) that Duterte himself had formed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In September, during the Senate inquiry into the extrajudicial killings, a man named Edgar Matobato came forward with a confession that rocked media headlines. In his testimony, Matobato admitted that he had been a hitman with the DDS and that he had killed more than 50 people.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He also linked Duterte to the killings, claiming the president had ordered his group of hitmen to pursue his rival supporters, bomb a mosque and kill Muslims, and set up an ambush for Senator Leila de Lima when she ordered a probe on the string of murders.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since Duterte entered office in June, more than 5,000 people have been killed in his war on drugs, some 2,000 at the hands of the police and a further 3,000 by vigilante groups.</div><br />Source: Asian Correspondent, Staff, December 28, 2016 <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Youths among dead as Philippine gunmen kill seven in 'drugs den'

"Since Duterte entered office in June, more than 5,000 people have been killed in his war on drugs, some 2,000 at the hands of the poli...

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Philippines leader Duterte faces investigation over killings claim

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EFf8Cmvyr_UoCBqMyobpwdRpClF_t6yZ3FfZZs9TszXSijYq7bEDxTCLkD2IyaikuqdRVS149MiZCkwGp6VD_W3FCNRbgWtxIhUnAc_bYzcXldfNX_MN5bHsBtHweb2T5gmv2ocXk5k/s1600/Rodrigo+Duterte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="President Rodrigo Duterte" border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EFf8Cmvyr_UoCBqMyobpwdRpClF_t6yZ3FfZZs9TszXSijYq7bEDxTCLkD2IyaikuqdRVS149MiZCkwGp6VD_W3FCNRbgWtxIhUnAc_bYzcXldfNX_MN5bHsBtHweb2T5gmv2ocXk5k/s400/Rodrigo+Duterte.jpg" title="President Rodrigo Duterte" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Rodrigo Duterte</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Philippines independent human rights watchdog has said it will investigate claims by President Rodrigo Duterte that he personally killed drug suspects while mayor of Davao.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Commission on Human Rights will also examine reports that so-called death squads killed several hundred people in the southern city.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Duterte confirmed to the BBC last week that he shot dead three men.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since being elected in May, he has waged a brutal anti-drugs crackdown.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Critics say he has encouraged police, vigilantes and mercenaries to shoot suspected drug dealers and users on sight. Nearly 6,000 people are said to have been killed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Duterte was mayor of Davao for two decades, during which time he earned a reputation for harshly suppressing crime and was accused of sponsoring death squads.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said Mr Duterte's claims "clearly constitute murder" and he called on authorities to investigate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Chito Gascon, who heads the Philippines Commission on Human Rights, said on Wednesday a team of investigators would look into the matter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He told the BBC that a previous investigation into events in Davao, that concluded in 2012, had not found any evidence that Mr Duterte was directly involved in killings but the commission had recommended charges be filed against him "under the doctrine of command responsibility".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prosecutors, however, had not taken up the recommendation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Now, with his admission... we are looking into new evidence that directly links Mr Duterte to the killings," he told the BBC's Newshour programme.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Gascon added that Mr Duterte was immune from prosecution while in office.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But he added: "Even if we cannot file charges while Mr Duterte is president I think it is important that we do have a record and documentation [of events] so that at the time of appropriate reckoning we have the evidence preserved so that people may ultimately be held to account for what they have done."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier this month, Mr Duterte told a group of business leaders that in Davao "I used to do it [kill] personally. Just to show to the guys [police] that if I can do it, why can't you".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His spokesman later dismissed the comments as "tough talk" and denied that Mr Duterte had killed anyone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But speaking to the BBC hours later, Mr Duterte said: "I killed about three of them... I don't know how many bullets from my gun went inside their bodies. It happened and I cannot lie about it."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the president's most strident critics in the Philippines, Senator Leila de Lima, has said his admission could be grounds for impeachment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But on Wednesday, the government filed criminal charges against Ms de Lima, accusing her of trying to sabotage a congressional investigation into her alleged involvement in the drugs trade. She strongly denies any wrongdoing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier this week, Ms de Lima told the BBC that she feared for her life, but will not be silenced.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Duterte has dismissed concerns over his anti-drugs policies.</div><br />Source: <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38403977" target="_blank">BBC News</a>, December 22, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Philippines leader Duterte faces investigation over killings claim

President Rodrigo Duterte The Philippines independent human rights watchdog has said it will investigate claims by President Rodrigo Duterte...

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Philippine President Duterte confirms he killed people as mayor, with no remorse

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYWpnpaTO1CmdF0RbnR580AWSGiQ55jM2jnn3hD-ltSOXPpKzqJ8BQpayMGvIZxJe2cqONDnwtAydncf4Jken41KnoHm0ZkdghRSQOuquagm0FpldRmKWkPUASxi1kD9oWeyMc-eGcQw/s1600/Rodrigo+Duterte+in+Jakarta%2527s+State+Palace+9+SEPT+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Philippine President Duterte: "Looking for a confrontation so I could kill."" border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYWpnpaTO1CmdF0RbnR580AWSGiQ55jM2jnn3hD-ltSOXPpKzqJ8BQpayMGvIZxJe2cqONDnwtAydncf4Jken41KnoHm0ZkdghRSQOuquagm0FpldRmKWkPUASxi1kD9oWeyMc-eGcQw/s400/Rodrigo+Duterte+in+Jakarta%2527s+State+Palace+9+SEPT+2016.jpg" title="Philippine President Duterte: "Looking for a confrontation so I could kill."" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philippine President Duterte: "Looking for a confrontation so I could kill."</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte affirmed on Friday that he shot dead three people as mayor, dismissing any uncertainty and displaying no remorse. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I don’t really know how many bullets from my gun went inside their bodies,” he said. “It happened. I cannot lie about it.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His confirmation, reported by the Philippine Star, followed boasts to business leaders on Monday that he killed criminal suspects as the Davao City mayor to set a precedent for his police officers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I used to do it personally, just to show to the guys that if I can do it, why can’t you?” he said, according to a video posted by the Star.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I’d go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets looking for trouble,” he said. “I was really looking for a confrontation, so I could kill.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The president elaborated on the shootings Friday, calling them incidents with hostage-takers that saved people’s lives. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But his comments already had prompted a warning from U.S. officials and handed critics ammunition to demand his ouster.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The United States on Thursday announced it had <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/2016/12/us-cancels-major-aid-package-to.html" target="_blank">deferred a decision to send the Philippines a major economic aid package</a>. White House spokesman Josh Earnest called his remarks “deeply troubling” and “certainly at odds with the Philippine government’s stated commitment to due process and rule of law.” </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sen. Leila de Lima, the president’s most high-profile opponent, told CNN that his admissions amount to “mass murder” and <a href="http://deathpenaltynews.blogspot.com/2016/12/philippine-dutertes-admission-he-killed.html" target="_blank">grounds for impeachment</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Duterte, instigator of a bloody drug war during his presidency that has led to the death of more than 3,000 people, is known for his outlandish statements. He has compared himself to Hitler, declared he was not a killer and then threatened to kill officers who disobeyed him, and hinted at his own overuse of a powerful painkiller. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He has mentioned killing criminal suspects before, but his repeated remarks this week are the strongest declarations since he took office in June. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Duterte’s popularity has only increased since then, and it’s unclear what effect his comments will have throughout the island nation. Philippine officials who support the president have tried to play them down.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The president always resorts to hyperbole,” Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said on Wednesday, according to the Star. “He always exaggerates just to put his message across.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Duterte’s confirmation that he had killed challenged such claims.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I would not have any second thoughts about cutting your head off,” he told the paper on Friday, speaking about drug dealers. “Should I allow it to continue? And be like the Latin American states?</div><br />Source: <a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-philippines-duterte-killings-20161216-story.html" target="_blank">Los Angeles Times</a>, Jessica Meyers, December 16, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Philippine President Duterte confirms he killed people as mayor, with no remorse

Philippine President Duterte: "Looking for a confrontation so I could kill." Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte affirmed on Frid...

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Philippines: "Death penalty has no moral necessity"

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Qz3Adp1jjiIrZ1QhTSx6KBCNgYVvzuIwFLjCW0z2KsDrTDgGZpmhbsmMoHPvlvXx321VojRlzevW269HLVjN6fe6l7-aAitizTop0_hfX1kKYyZk645RGXB5mbjIRCluhZKAMY2GfAE/s1600/Duterte%2527s+war+on+drugs+PHIL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs in the streets of Manila" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Qz3Adp1jjiIrZ1QhTSx6KBCNgYVvzuIwFLjCW0z2KsDrTDgGZpmhbsmMoHPvlvXx321VojRlzevW269HLVjN6fe6l7-aAitizTop0_hfX1kKYyZk645RGXB5mbjIRCluhZKAMY2GfAE/s400/Duterte%2527s+war+on+drugs+PHIL.jpg" title="President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs in the streets of Manila" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs in the streets of Manila</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat of the Lone District here said the reimposition of the death penalty is "a backward step without moral necessity," and urged the public to join the call to stop hasty moves by the House of Representatives in reviving the law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Baguilat cited the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' firm stand that the abolition of the death penalty by the 1986 Constitution was "a very big step toward a practical recognition of the dignity of every human being created in the image and likeness of God, and the value of human life from its conception to its natural end."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Thus to reimpose the death penalty would mean a backward step without moral necessity," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2006, the capital punishment was suspended by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with the support of a Congress noted to be overwhelmingly supportive of the tenet that life has value.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Baguilat, a member of the opposition bloc in Congress known as the "Magnificent 7," said the Constitution requires that there must be a compelling reason to reimpose the death penalty but that he finds "none."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He added that the better move today is to strengthen the justice system to make sure that justice is served quickly and that real criminals will go to jail.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"As it is, everybody is saying that the justice system is flawed. We need more reform to avoid wrongful convictions. Without reforms, the poor will again bear the consequence of the weakness and inconsistency in the application of the criminal justice system," the lawmaker said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to Baguilat, the plan to railroad passage of the death penalty is a grave cause for concern considering that it had already been established that imposing the capital punishment would not deter proliferation of crime.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We need to strengthen [the justice system]first to make a more lasting impact on criminality. I have never believed in legislating this ultimate retribution," he said, adding that there is no credible data showing that the death penalty is a crime deterrent.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"That is why I am again appealing to my colleagues in Congress to not rush into passing such a bill and instead allow extensive and intelligent discussion," Baguilat said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Apparently as part of the campaign against illegal drugs and criminality, the House majority led by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez remained resolute in immediately passing a law that will bring back the death penalty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">President Rodrigo Duterte has consistently said that he wanted the death penalty law as part of the package of measures to stop the proliferation of drugs and criminality.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I have always said that I am supportive of the President's campaign against drugs and criminality. But there is the right way to do it and reimposing the death penalty, which will violate our international commitments, is not the right way," Baguilat pointed out.</div><br />Source: Manila Times, December 15, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Philippines: "Death penalty has no moral necessity"

President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs in the streets of Manila Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat of the Lone District here said t...

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Mary Jane Veloso’s recruiter a frequent traveler, gov’t records show

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBs_MfAbe3kjxKN4IKhwC7EtiE-zEFdTFShIizHe4vj7PH_0cQkmMT7LniCGIih51HrQL3nOIzJcgApqRIp5rKqtvG5ftJ3MOr4alnru5RLJJE480Rv1S2kdbGEsjjUxhyiZbvt0PHzE/s1600/Maria+Kristina+Sergio+and+Julius+Lacanilao%252C+the+recruiters+of+Mary+Jane+Veloso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Maria Kristina Sergio (R) and Julius Lacanilao, the recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso " border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBs_MfAbe3kjxKN4IKhwC7EtiE-zEFdTFShIizHe4vj7PH_0cQkmMT7LniCGIih51HrQL3nOIzJcgApqRIp5rKqtvG5ftJ3MOr4alnru5RLJJE480Rv1S2kdbGEsjjUxhyiZbvt0PHzE/s400/Maria+Kristina+Sergio+and+Julius+Lacanilao%252C+the+recruiters+of+Mary+Jane+Veloso.jpg" title="Maria Kristina Sergio (R) and Julius Lacanilao, the recruiters of Mary Jane Veloso " width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria Kristina Sergio (R) and Julius Lacanilao, the recruiters of M. J. Veloso </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Maria Kristina Sergio’s travel records revealed that she went abroad five times in 2008, 14 times in 2009, nine times in 2010 and twice in 2011.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">MANILA – Lawyers of Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina on death row in Indonesia, said one of her recruiters appears to be a “frequent traveler” based on government data from 2008 to 2011 which were presented at the hearing today, Dec. 15, before a Nueva Ecija court.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Maria Kristina Sergio, whom Mary Jane’s family has charged with qualified human trafficking in person, illegal recruitment, and estafa, travelled abroad 30 times in a span of three years, as shown by records from the Bureau of Immigration (BI).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Kinda frequent flyer for someone who claims to be indigent and purportedly cannot afford the services of private counsel. It is a ruse to complete her contrived defense,” Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) said in his Facebook post.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The NUPL is representing Mary Jane and her family in the case against accused Sergio and her live-in partner Julius Lacanilao. Both are also facing charges of large-scale syndicated illegal recruitment filed by three women who surfaced at the height of the campaign to save Mary Jane from the gallows.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">NUPL secretary general Ephraim Cortez said BI records verifier Angelito Lopez took the witness stand and who presented Sergio’s travel records, which revealed that she went abroad five times in 2008, 14 times in 2009, nine times in 2010 and twice in 2011.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cortez added that the defense lawyers from the Public Attorney’s Office “tried to block the presentation of the travel record, insofar as the travels made prior to April 21, 2010 are concerned, arguing these are not relevant” but the court agreed to the presentation of Sergio’s travel record.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mary Jane’s former husband Michael Candelaria also took the witness stand today for the continuation of his direct-examination and cross-examination. Cortez said Candelaria “stood his ground despite attempts of the defense counsel to discredit his credibility and testimony and survived cross examination unscathed.”<br /><br /><h3>$400</h3></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last Nov. 10, Candelaria first took the witness stand and narrated how Mary Jane was recruited by Sergio and Lacanilao and that they paid the couple P20,000 ($400). He said he brought Mary Jane to the bus station after they handed the money to the accused.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Apart from Candelaria, other members of Mary Jane’s family, including her sister Maritess Laurente and mother Celia Veloso, had already taken the witness stand.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As far as the NUPL is concerned, the only “remaining material witness” in the charges filed against the accused is that of Mary Jane’s.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheabO_2q10e8KfAG3NAbfrbw7F1650A97ZJuqiyz7-hhVw_HlM5FNgiVZgoyHpoh5NP1cm2subUtQPEeEcIqyZi7Idzmh9-2HFqr9rVCg0i3fRhMQPiGXbbtyrWhyW_dOqoqUBM6lV79A/s1600/Mary+Jane+Veloso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mary Jane Veloso, a victim of human trafficking" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheabO_2q10e8KfAG3NAbfrbw7F1650A97ZJuqiyz7-hhVw_HlM5FNgiVZgoyHpoh5NP1cm2subUtQPEeEcIqyZi7Idzmh9-2HFqr9rVCg0i3fRhMQPiGXbbtyrWhyW_dOqoqUBM6lV79A/s400/Mary+Jane+Veloso.jpg" title="Mary Jane Veloso, a victim of human trafficking" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Jane Veloso, a victim of human trafficking</td></tr></tbody></table>Sto. Domingo Regional Trial Court Branch 88, which is presided over by Judge Anarica Castillo Reyes, has already granted the prosecution’s motion to allow deposition by written interrogatories in order to secure Mary Jane’s testimony. This will be conducted by the Philippine consul, in accordance with the Rules of Court in the Philippines.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The same court has denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the lawyers of the accused. Defense lawyers also filed a motion to defer the filing of their comment on the written interrogatories submitted by prosecution as they intent to file a Petition for Certiorari before the Court of Appeals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the hearing today, the prosecution lawyers were given five days to file its comment or opposition to the new motion filed by the defense.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The written interrogatories would be the first time for Mary Jane to tell about her ordeal, as the Indonesian justice system did not allow such. She remains in prison in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, almost two years since her scheduled execution was stayed at dawn of April 29, 2015 amid national and international outcry about her being a victim of human trafficking.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The case is again set for hearing on Feb. 23, March 9, April 27, May 18 and June 22.</div><br />Source: <a href="http://bulatlat.com/main/2016/12/15/mary-janes-recruiter-frequent-traveler-govt-records-show/" target="_blank">blutalat.com</a>, Jonas Alpasan, December 15, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JBVXEBZLP3WKW" target="_blank">DONATE!</a></b></div><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_blank"><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/fr_FR/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /></div></form><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>

Mary Jane Veloso’s recruiter a frequent traveler, gov’t records show

Maria Kristina Sergio (R) and Julius Lacanilao, the recruiters of M. J. Veloso Maria Kristina Sergio’s travel records revealed that she went...

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Philippine Duterte's admission he killed criminals an impeachable offense: senators

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EFf8Cmvyr_UoCBqMyobpwdRpClF_t6yZ3FfZZs9TszXSijYq7bEDxTCLkD2IyaikuqdRVS149MiZCkwGp6VD_W3FCNRbgWtxIhUnAc_bYzcXldfNX_MN5bHsBtHweb2T5gmv2ocXk5k/s1600/Rodrigo+Duterte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Duterte risks impeachment after he admitted "personally" killing criminals." border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EFf8Cmvyr_UoCBqMyobpwdRpClF_t6yZ3FfZZs9TszXSijYq7bEDxTCLkD2IyaikuqdRVS149MiZCkwGp6VD_W3FCNRbgWtxIhUnAc_bYzcXldfNX_MN5bHsBtHweb2T5gmv2ocXk5k/s400/Rodrigo+Duterte.jpg" title="Duterte risks impeachment after he admitted "personally" killing criminals." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duterte risks impeachment after he admitted "personally" killing criminals.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte risks impeachment after he admitted "personally" killing criminals when he was the mayor of Davao City, said two Philippine senators.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The firebrand leader boasted to business leaders on Monday that as Davao City mayor he used to prowl the streets on a big motorcycle looking for "an encounter to kill" just to show to local law enforcers he can do it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I used to do it personally," Duterte said. "If I can do it why can't you?"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">More than 2,000 people have been killed in police anti-drug operations since Duterte became president in July. Almost all were shot when they resisted arrest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another 3,000 deaths are under investigation, with critics calling them vigilante killings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Senator Leila de Lima, a staunch critic of Duterte, said the president's admission could be a ground for impeachment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"That is betrayal of public trust and that constitutes high crimes because mass murders certainly fall into the category of high crimes. And high crimes is a ground for impeachment under the constitution," de Lima told CNN on Thursday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Senator Richard Gordon, who heads the senate justice committee, also said Duterte opened himself to possible impeachment proceedings following his controversial comments. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"When he says that, he's opening himself up, so what's the legal way, then go ahead and impeach him," he told reporters, adding he was not surprised by the statement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Duterte's allies in Congress dared the president's opponents and critics to file an impeachment motion, saying removing the leader through a political process is a numbers game.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are less than 50 opposition lawmakers in the 293-member lower house of Congress. A two-thirds vote is needed to impeach a president.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Peter Wallace, who organized the business forum where Duterte spoke, thought the president's statement was his "usual bravado."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"He talked as he often does about drugs, and killings and criminality. And we had expected that he would but we were there not to listen to that," Wallace told Reuters by phone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We were there to talk to him or listen to him about business issues and I was pleased that...he moved on to those subjects," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Justice Minister Vitaliano Aguirre dismissed Duterte's statement as an exaggeration.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It's like a hyperbole, that's the president, he is used to exaggerate just to put his message across," Aguirre was quoted in radio reports as saying on Thursday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Even if that were true, Aguirre said it did not necessarily mean that he violated the law.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It could be done with a justifiable cause and justified circumstances as a public officer in order to arrest but if they resisted. He must have been forced," Aguirre said, referring to Duterte.</div><br />Source: Reuters, December 15, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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Philippine Duterte's admission he killed criminals an impeachable offense: senators

Duterte risks impeachment after he admitted "personally" killing criminals. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte risks impeachment...

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US cancels major aid package to the Philippines over human rights concerns

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZH7DQDyIvH-N1EO41H-OQZ1g7KfsA1JAlW8ftA_gnt0x1Mg-2NZNet9g_L0t7r9HpWWcA0hE43Tqk6crCx03eiIZwtSl7Ge1W6VFRYhIMGnLD4vliQOnzcQlGXxqS2eU2kk9DX1U1Kk/s1600/Philippines-President-elect-Rodrigo-Duterte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="President Rodrigo Duterte" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZH7DQDyIvH-N1EO41H-OQZ1g7KfsA1JAlW8ftA_gnt0x1Mg-2NZNet9g_L0t7r9HpWWcA0hE43Tqk6crCx03eiIZwtSl7Ge1W6VFRYhIMGnLD4vliQOnzcQlGXxqS2eU2kk9DX1U1Kk/s400/Philippines-President-elect-Rodrigo-Duterte.jpg" title="President Rodrigo Duterte" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Rodrigo Duterte</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>US embassy says there are 'significant concerns' about civil liberties under President Duterte</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The US government says it will not renew a major aid package to the Philippines worth hundreds of millions of dollars, due to concerns over the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The US embassy to the Philippines said it had “significant concerns” about civil liberties infringements in the country and declined to renew the Millennium Challenge Grant for a further five years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The grant, said to be worth over $430 million, is open to nations that "demonstrate a commitment to just and democratic governance, investments in its people, and economic freedom”. It is aimed at reducing poverty in deprived areas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"This decision reflects the Board's significant concerns around rule of law and civil liberties in the Philippines," the embassy said in a statement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The Millenium Challenge Corporation will continue to monitor unfolding events in the Philippines and underscores that all country partners are expected to maintain eligibility, which includes not just a passing scorecard but also a demonstrated commitment to the rule of law, due process and respect for human rights."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The US has been openly critical of Mr Duterte's controversial 'war on drugs', during which an estimated 5,900 people have been killed in five months.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">More than 1.6 million houses of drug suspects have been visited by police to invite them to surrender and stop using drugs, or disengage from the drug trade.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mr Duterte responded by declaring the Philippines was to "separate" from the US in a diplomatic sense, after decades of close ties between the two countries.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“By partnering with developing countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, from fighting corruption to respecting the rights of women and the rule of law, we are maximizing our ability to fight poverty and transform people’s lives,” Millenium Challenge Corporation CEO Dana Hyde added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The corporation announced that new grants had been given to Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka and Tunisia, with the Philippines still eligible for consideration in the future.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In October, Mr Duterte called US President Barack Obama "a son of a whore" and told him to "go to hell" following criticism of his policies.</div><br />Source: <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/us-cancels-aid-package-philippines-human-rights-concerns-rodrigo-duterte-a7476606.html" target="_blank">The Independent</a>, Gabriel Samuels, December 15, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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US cancels major aid package to the Philippines over human rights concerns

President Rodrigo Duterte US embassy says there are 'significant concerns' about civil liberties under President Duterte The US gove...

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Philippines: 'Death penalty backers banking on emotions, not facts'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEL62K-BuEp1bZPo62x1t8jI8O9YNwke0VU3JRCc8psG91jNVlCQJniAGj6urzSCfgQa1cFF3U_MGtpUibop52zVI1sqJspQ9-_XpQ6r4XjpvwZjvmecucctZY-GHl3XA_dU2zWAx-Fo/s1600/A+victim+of+summary+execution+PHILIPPINES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Philippines: Extrajudicial killings of alleged trug traffickers are soaring" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEL62K-BuEp1bZPo62x1t8jI8O9YNwke0VU3JRCc8psG91jNVlCQJniAGj6urzSCfgQa1cFF3U_MGtpUibop52zVI1sqJspQ9-_XpQ6r4XjpvwZjvmecucctZY-GHl3XA_dU2zWAx-Fo/s400/A+victim+of+summary+execution+PHILIPPINES.jpg" title="Philippines: Extrajudicial killings of alleged trug traffickers are soaring" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philippines: Extrajudicial killings of alleged trug traffickers are soaring</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">A human rights activist said those in favor of death penalty is banking on the emotions of victims of crimes to justify the push to reinstate death penalty in the country.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking on ANC, Carlos Conde of Human Rights Watch said there is not enough factual evidence to show that death penalty can prevent crimes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We're still waiting for statistics for the proponents of the bill to show to us, for instance, that there's an upsurge of crime fueled by drug use, which is the usual argument by those who are pushing for this bill but we haven't seen any significant data or statistics that would convincingly show that," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is also the reason why backers of death penalty bills are banking on people's emotions instead to gain support for their cause.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"This is why the proponents of death penalty are making this a very emotional issue, citing, for instance, cases of crime supposedly related to drug use or heinous crimes supposedly related to drug use but they haven't shown data that would support the assertion that death penalty is a deterrent to crime," Conde said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The death penalty is a highly-charged political issue that legislators and politicians often latch on to as their advocacy because it's a very popular issue. People respond to the death penalty with this very highly emotional response," he added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">According to Conde, the death penalty is a very popular issue because of President Rodrigo Duterte.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"This push for the death penalty arises from the popularity of President Rodrigo Duterte; so as long as he's extremely popular, we expect politicians and lawmakers to follow his lead," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Conde admitted that it will be difficult for those who are against death penalty to convince pro-death penalty lawmakers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"If there is enough groundswell of dissent against these death penalty proposals in Congress, certainly all those people who did not vote for President Duterte could make a dent in the argument against death penalty, but you know, the death penalty is not a very popular issue among advocates," he said. "It would take a lot of work, to be honest, for those against the death penalty, to sway the legislators to not push this bill," Conde added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;">DETERRENCE</h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) spokesperson Arsenio Evangelista reiterated that the death penalty will prevent crimes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It will deter. For us, it is the biggest weapon now for crime prevention, deterrence. When it comes to data, pro-life is saying that it is not a deterrent. It is a deterrent on a very high percentage," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Precisely, the absence of death penalty will increase extra-judicial killings because for us, death penalty is a retribution for acts being done to victims... The certainty of death will create fear among would-be criminals," Arsenio added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Last week, the proposal to reimpose the death penalty has advanced to the plenary of the Lower House, 10 years after it was abolished.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Voting 12-6-1, the House justice committee approved the committee report of the substitute bill of the bills restoring the death penalty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The vote of the mother committee came after an earlier vote of 12-5 adopting the subcommittee report of the same.</div><br />Source: ABS-CBN news, December 14, 2016<br /><br /><h2>Drop plans to expand death penalty, bishops ask Philippines</h2><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Catholic prayer and protests greeted proposals to expand the use of the death penalty in the Philippines, with the move drawing outspoken opposition from the country's bishops.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Christ died for the criminals and the victims. The love of God is for all. Our love should be like God's love. For all," said Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan at a Dec. 12 prayer rally in San Carlos City.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We are not protesting without a solution. We are protesting with an alternative. Reform the criminal justice system," he added. "If there's a death penalty but the criminal justice system is corrupt, slow and 1-sided, rapist and plunderer, and (drug) pusher and killer will remain confident."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In 2006 the country abolished the death penalty for crimes involving drugs, rape and arson. Now, President Rodrigo Duterte and his supporters have sought to reinstate capital punishment for such crimes, citing rising crime rates and drug use.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYWpnpaTO1CmdF0RbnR580AWSGiQ55jM2jnn3hD-ltSOXPpKzqJ8BQpayMGvIZxJe2cqONDnwtAydncf4Jken41KnoHm0ZkdghRSQOuquagm0FpldRmKWkPUASxi1kD9oWeyMc-eGcQw/s1600/Rodrigo+Duterte+in+Jakarta%2527s+State+Palace+9+SEPT+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="President Rodrigo Duterte" border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWYWpnpaTO1CmdF0RbnR580AWSGiQ55jM2jnn3hD-ltSOXPpKzqJ8BQpayMGvIZxJe2cqONDnwtAydncf4Jken41KnoHm0ZkdghRSQOuquagm0FpldRmKWkPUASxi1kD9oWeyMc-eGcQw/s400/Rodrigo+Duterte+in+Jakarta%2527s+State+Palace+9+SEPT+2016.jpg" title="President Rodrigo Duterte" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Rodrigo Duterte</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Archbishop Villegas, however, said that the courts can make mistakes, and there is no way to correct a mistake after a prisoner is executed. He said the death penalty is "a lazy form of penalty" that does not help reform "those who made mistakes."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since July 1, when the new president took office, more than 2,000 people have died in police operations against illicit drugs, Reuters reports. Those killed are mainly street level drug dealers, accused by police of resisting arrest.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the same time frame, another 3,000 people have been killed by masked men and vigilantes on motorcycles. President Duterte has denied claims of extrajudicial killings.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Senators have reported that they have no clear proof the killings are linked to state-sponsored actions. They have told the president to observe due process for the accused.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila and the Manila archdiocese's presbyteral council urged a prayer against the death penalty to be recited at all Sunday Masses in the archdiocese Sunday Dec. 8.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Father, source and giver of life, we lift our hearts and voices to you. Help us to build a society that truly chooses life in all situations," began the prayer, with the response "Lord, heal our pain."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prayer was on behalf of victims, perpetrators and society.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"There is in our land a cry for vengeance and a move to fill up death rows and kill offenders but disguised as a call for justice," the prayer continued. "Let true and lasting justice spring forth."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prayer petitioned that Jesus, who suffered execution at the hands of the powerful, help Christians "reach out to victims of violence so that our enduring love may help heal their wounds."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A separate proposal in the Philippines would lower the age of criminal liability to 9 years old from 12. The bishops have warned this could escalate violence related to anti-drug campaigns.</div><br />Source: Catholic News Agency, December 14, 2016<br /><br /><h2>Death penalty debate set early 2017</h2><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">House Deputy Speaker Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro yesterday said the discussions on the bill to reinstate death penalty, a priority legislative measure of President Duterte, will be moved to early next year, so that congressmen would have a thorough plenary debate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a radio interview, Castro said he was responsible for moving back the bill's discussion on the floor because he wanted to prepare to defend it at the plenary.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Castro is one of the principal authors of House Bill No. 1, which seeks to reimpose capital punishment for heinous crimes after it was abolished by then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We have to let people know, make them understand and study this measure because at first glance, you could say you don't want this bill because life should be respected. This is a reason that is based on one's belief in God and what they call human rights," Castro said in Filipino.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It's funny because our people might again be misled. This is why I myself said I want to prepare for the debate because I will be the one to stand at the plenary. I will be the one to fight for this bill ... there would be very good interpellators who are now saying they have not made up their mind whether or not they would support this bill," Castro said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said the measure could be passed in the Lower House if there would be daily plenary debates on it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Castro also said he informed House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Farinas, his coauthors, that the proposal should not single out drug dealing and drug use.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Castro said if he had his way, he would add more crimes that are as heinous as the use and sale of illegal drugs to be punishable by death - crimes such as illegal recruitment, plunder, economic sabotage and human trafficking, including the ones conducted via cyberspace.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are 21 heinous crimes proposed to be punishable by death in the bill approved by the House justice committee - a number which Castro still considers "too small."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Among the "heinous crimes" included in House Bill No. 1 are treason, qualified piracy, qualified bribery, parricide, murder, infanticide, rape, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, robbery with violence, destructive arson, plunder.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It also includes dangerous drug importation, sale and trading, manufacture, possession, cultivation and unlawful prescription, misappropriating confiscated illegal drugs and planting of evidence by public officers, and car theft.</div><br />Source: newsinfo.inquirer.net, December 14, 2016<br /><br /><h2>Ifugao solon joins anti death penalty law advocates</h2><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat has urged the public to add their voice to the growing chorus calling for a stop to hasty moves in Congress to reimpose the death penalty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Commission on Human Rights as well as the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines have already taken a firm stance against the death penalty with the CBCP saying that the abolition of the death penalty by the 1986 Constitution was "a very big step towards a practical recognition of the dignity of every human being created to the image and likeness of God, and the value of human life from its conception to its natural end."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Baguilat added reimposing the death penalty would mean a backward step without moral necessity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Indeed the Constitution says that there must be a compelling reason to reimpose the death penalty and there is none today," said Baguilat, a member of the legitimate opposition bloc in Congress known as the "Magnificent 7".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Ifugao solon reiterated his stand as the House majority led by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez remained resolute in its stance to immediately pass a law that will bring back the death penalty, ostensibly as part of the campaign against illegal drugs and criminality. Baguilat had said the plan to railroad the passage of the death penalty was a grave cause for concern considering that it had already been established that having a death penalty would not deter the proliferation of crime. "It is not a deterrent. There is no reliable and credible data to show that it is," said Baguilat. "That is why I am again appealing to my colleagues in Congress to not rush into passing such a bill and instead allow extensive and intelligent discussion."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Cordilleran lawmaker also said the better move is to strengthen the justice system to make sure that justice is served quickly and that the real criminals will go to jail.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"As it is, everybody is saying that the justice system is flawed. That means what we need is more reform to avoid wrongful convictions. Without reforms, what will happen is that the poor will again bear the consequence of the weakness and inconsistency in the application of the criminal justice system. We need to strengthen that first to make a more lasting impact on criminality. I have never believed in legislating this ultimate retribution," Baguilat said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Capital punishment was last suspended in 2006 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. At that time, Congress was overwhelmingly supportive of the tenet that life has value. President Duterte, however, has consistently said that he wanted it back as part of the package of measures to supposedly stop the proliferation of drugs and criminality.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I have always said that I am supportive of the President's campaign against drugs and criminality. But there is the right way to do it and reimposing the death penalty, which will violate our international commitments, is not the right way," said Baguilat.</div><br />Source: sunstar.com.ph, December 14, 2016<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">⚑ | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: <a href="mailto:deathpenaltynews@gmail.com">deathpenaltynews@gmail.com</a>.</div><br /><table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: 0px solid rgb(255, 204, 0); color: black; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WebDPN/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4sspwgGptzvuHVklum5TwxKppRN-lIC5TN8RLZFq_B4ZOtBrX1ssXPNKQ6XpSyQFRJRtVQN45HMkpt3VX0JtOW0TovwxZAurG-AV6gh98IAXo7Ip6QlpkZr9WrM3_m943Mwy-gGxBAY/s1600/Find+us+Facebook.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/WebDPN" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULIPEaT_P6oIauxAZd17XRRxljesDLS7iIjdQXT7Xct99uHeohx4IYmiAB6S044gTjMDGSy50sL2vDzOyPZ-3vJj9zwcYQ2rgzJh9v1-QDiunKAQtLLLqJ83s38qN3HABxGIC8GsIOD0/s1600/Find+us+twitter.jpg" /></a><span id="goog_1427852018"></span><span id="goog_1427852019"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Opposed to Capital Punishment? 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