Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Global human rights group Amnesty International Philippines calls on lawmakers to block the revival of the death penalty.
The group says the re-introduction of the death penalty would be a major setback in the promotion of human rights.
It also notes criminal justice systems are vulnerable to error, and that imposing the death penalty could mean executing those who are wrongly accused.
“Regardless of the crime hindi kami naniniwala na ang death penalty ay tumutugon sa obligasyon ng pamahalaan na i-respeto, protektahan, at i-fulfill ang mga karapatang pantao. Hindi kami naniniwala na death penalty will deter crime,” Amnesty International Philippines Chairman Ritslee Santos said in a press conference.
(Regardless of the crime we do not believe the death penalty meets the government’s obligation to respect, protect and fulfill human rights. We don’t believe the death penalty will deter crime.)
The House Committee on Justice on Wednesday approved the bill restoring death penalty.
Siquijor Representative Ramon Rocamora agreed with Amnesty International.
He assures the group he will exert effort to block the revival of capital punishment.
“Although it appears that the number of people for are greater than those against, there is also a great number of people who have not yet decided,” Rocamora said.
Dinagat Island Representative Kaka Bag-ao, meantime, appealed to the group to help inform the public why the death penalty should not be revived.
“Our collective struggle in the realm of defending human rights bare all the evidence that we need to defeat those whom we oppose in the debate but we need your support to defeat them in the arena of public opinion and clamor,” Bag-ao said.
Rocamora and Bag-ao, both members of the House Committee on Justice, voted against restoring the death penalty.
Senator Risa Hontiveros said legislators against the death penalty in the Upper House will do their best to kill the bill.
“I think we’ll be able to put up a good fight pagdating sa debate sa death penalty bill,” Hontiveros said.
Rejecting the death penalty is on top of Amnesty International’s 11-point legislative agenda for the 17th Congress.
Among other human rights issues in the agenda are extra-judicial killings, discrimination, and torture.
