VACC renews call for Duterte to reinstate death penalty

Volunteers Against  Crime and Corruption (VACC) on Thursday renewed their call for President Rodrigo Duterte to reinstate the death penalty, noting the "rampant killings" in the country.

The Philippines stopped the implementation of the death penalty in 2006 when then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act No. 9346 or An Act Prohibiting the Imposition of Death Penalty in the Philippines, which repealed Republic Act 7659 or the Death Penalty Law.

In a report by GMA News' Dano Tingcungco on 24 Oras, VACC president Cory Quirino underscored what they believe is worsening crime situation in the country.

"These are rampant killings that are done in full view of people, like riding in tandem, so it's done with impunity," she said.

"Ang pinakamatinding dahilan kundi ang rule of retribution. Kung lumabag ka sa batas at pumatay ka sa isang tao kailangan katumbas din ang parusa sa krimen na ginawa mo."

To strike fear in the hearts of criminals, VACC spokesperson Boy Evangelista said the execution should be "bloody."

"It should be bloody kasi ang point namin dito is to send a strong message through a manner na kakatakutan," he said. "Alam mo ang Pinoy, masunurin 'yan eh. Pag nakita nilang may implementation, may political implementation, may political will, tigil 'yan."

Duterte has been an ardent supporter of the death penalty. In his State of the Nation Address last year, he said, "It is really an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. You took a life, you must pay it with a life."

Currently, a bill seeking to bring back the death penalty has made it past the third and final reading at House of Representative. At the Senate, it has yet to be tackled at the committee level.

Sought for comment, newly-appointed Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the outlook for the proposed law would be better if it only sentenced individuals convicted of high-level drug crimes.

"Kung ang pag-uusapan natin ay ibalik ang death penalty for high-level drug trafficking, payag ako," he said.

"Ang tingin ko, may pag-asa kaming makakuha ng mahigit 13 boto."

Filipinos who wanted capital punishment to be reinstated dominated a Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll in the first quarter of 2017, showing that 61 percent or six out of 10 Filipinos are in favor of it.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) continues to oppose the death penalty, saying the solution to keep crime in the country from worsening is to improve the justice system.

"Ang death penalty is after the fact. Meaning to say, nagawa na ang krimen saka mo papatayin ang kriminal. Ang kailangan natin dito, 'yung mga kriminal ay talagang mahuli, ang mga kriminal ay dapat makulong at maparusahan. At mas maganda ang mga kriminal ay di talaga makakagawa ng krimen," CBCP spokesperson Jerome Secillano said.

Secillano, however, emphasized that the CBCP recognizes where the VACC's appeal is coming from, given most of its members have lost loved ones to criminals or were victims themselves. —Margaret Claire Layug/KBK, GMA News