OPINION
Bea Bernardo
EDITORIAL: Abductions And Killings: Is There A Need For The Death Penalty?
Lawmakers are once again seeking the revival of the death penalty in the country as a deterrent against heinous crime.
Surigao del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers filed House Bill 1543, or an Act which reimposes the Death Penalty on Certain Heinous Crimes.
The said bill aims to address the “alarming rise of heinous crimes” in the Philippines throughcapital punishment.
“The death penalty is said to be the strongest deterrent, society has against such crimes. It aims to restore as retribution for the victims and their family,” said Barbers.
Representatives Eric Yap, Paolo Duterte, Edvic Yap, Jocelyn Tulfo Jeffrey Soriano and Ralph Tulfo also filed a similar bill called the Death Penalty Law.
“Towards the end, in the interest of justice, public order and rule of law, and the need to rationalize and harmonize the penal sanctions, Congress finds compelling reasons to impose death penalty for heinous crimes,” the house bill read.
In the Senate, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa renewed his call to impose the death penalty on high-profile drug traffickers as he included it in his priority bill in the 19th Congress.
High Profile Cases
In the past weeks, several kidnapping and killing reports have raised concerns and fear among the public.
One of these cases involved a 25-year-old man who was arrested in Taal, Batangas on August 17 and later found dead in Sariaya, Quezon.
Another case in Batangas is the kidnapping of a 34-year-old man in Lian last August 5.
Philippine National Police chief Police General Rodolfo Azurin Jr., has ordered the Batangas police to conduct further investigations.
Meanwhile, Police Regional Office 4B confirmed that the skeletal found in Barangay Sta. Lourdes in Palawan matched the DNA samples of the 22-year-old saleslady who went missing last August 5.
The PNP in Puerto Princesa are also building a case against the suspects who have allegedly confessed to the crime
Some incidents were already resolved by the police, including the killing of a 15-year-old girl in Bulacan and another rape-slaying case in Malabon.
The Commission on Human Rights expressed alarm at the situation, especially that students have returned to face-to-face classes.
“CHR welcomes the announcement of the Department of Justice to look into these killings and the Department of the Interior and Local Government action for heightened police visibility as a deterrent to crime,” said CHR Executive Director Jacqueline Ann de Guia.
Despite this, the PNP said peace and order situation in the country is stable.
Based on the data of the police, for the first 56 days of the Marcos Jr. administration, 29,000 crimes were recorded.
“Ang ating peace and order sa buong bansa ay still manageable. Medyo nahihighlight lang po ang mga iba’t ibang mga nagrereport sa mga different platforms but definitely ang krimen po ay mababa pa rin po,” said PNP chief Azurin.
Azurin also stated that the majority of abduction cases this year have been linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, or POGO.
The police said most victims of kidnapping were Chinese-Filipino and Chinese businessmen.
“Kung mapapansin po natin for 2021, we have seven cases of kidnapping pero for 2022 po is we only have four na kung saan ay may isang POGO-related po,” Azurin added.
The PNP also denied that a serial killer or a group of people with white vans is behind the series of abductions in the country.
“Yung mga nahuli po na suspect na involved sa mga kasong ito ay may kanya kanya po silang motibo kung bakit nila ginawa ang mga kasong ito,” said PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo.
Surigao del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers filed House Bill 1543, or an Act which reimposes the Death Penalty on Certain Heinous Crimes.
The said bill aims to address the “alarming rise of heinous crimes” in the Philippines throughcapital punishment.
“The death penalty is said to be the strongest deterrent, society has against such crimes. It aims to restore as retribution for the victims and their family,” said Barbers.
Representatives Eric Yap, Paolo Duterte, Edvic Yap, Jocelyn Tulfo Jeffrey Soriano and Ralph Tulfo also filed a similar bill called the Death Penalty Law.
“Towards the end, in the interest of justice, public order and rule of law, and the need to rationalize and harmonize the penal sanctions, Congress finds compelling reasons to impose death penalty for heinous crimes,” the house bill read.
In the Senate, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa renewed his call to impose the death penalty on high-profile drug traffickers as he included it in his priority bill in the 19th Congress.
High Profile Cases
In the past weeks, several kidnapping and killing reports have raised concerns and fear among the public.
One of these cases involved a 25-year-old man who was arrested in Taal, Batangas on August 17 and later found dead in Sariaya, Quezon.
Another case in Batangas is the kidnapping of a 34-year-old man in Lian last August 5.
Philippine National Police chief Police General Rodolfo Azurin Jr., has ordered the Batangas police to conduct further investigations.
Meanwhile, Police Regional Office 4B confirmed that the skeletal found in Barangay Sta. Lourdes in Palawan matched the DNA samples of the 22-year-old saleslady who went missing last August 5.
The PNP in Puerto Princesa are also building a case against the suspects who have allegedly confessed to the crime
Some incidents were already resolved by the police, including the killing of a 15-year-old girl in Bulacan and another rape-slaying case in Malabon.
The Commission on Human Rights expressed alarm at the situation, especially that students have returned to face-to-face classes.
“CHR welcomes the announcement of the Department of Justice to look into these killings and the Department of the Interior and Local Government action for heightened police visibility as a deterrent to crime,” said CHR Executive Director Jacqueline Ann de Guia.
Despite this, the PNP said peace and order situation in the country is stable.
Based on the data of the police, for the first 56 days of the Marcos Jr. administration, 29,000 crimes were recorded.
“Ang ating peace and order sa buong bansa ay still manageable. Medyo nahihighlight lang po ang mga iba’t ibang mga nagrereport sa mga different platforms but definitely ang krimen po ay mababa pa rin po,” said PNP chief Azurin.
Azurin also stated that the majority of abduction cases this year have been linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, or POGO.
The police said most victims of kidnapping were Chinese-Filipino and Chinese businessmen.
“Kung mapapansin po natin for 2021, we have seven cases of kidnapping pero for 2022 po is we only have four na kung saan ay may isang POGO-related po,” Azurin added.
The PNP also denied that a serial killer or a group of people with white vans is behind the series of abductions in the country.
“Yung mga nahuli po na suspect na involved sa mga kasong ito ay may kanya kanya po silang motibo kung bakit nila ginawa ang mga kasong ito,” said PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo.
Sep 1, 2022
