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4 neophyte senators reject revival of death penalty


Four neophyte senators on Wednesday rejected the proposal to bring back death penalty in the Philippines.

In an interview, Senator Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV said he does not believe that capital punishment will lower crime rates.

"Walang study na nagpapakita na deterrent sya sa crime. Even sa statistics from the US, makikita mo na walang correlation between death penalty and pagbaba ng rate ng krimen," Aquino told reporters Wednesday.

Senator Nancy Binay also said that she does not "subscribe to the idea of death penalty as a means to deter crimes."

"We need to institute reforms in the judicial system and strengthen our law and instill the importance of discipline," Binay said in a separate text message.

She added that there is also a need to strengthen values formation programs in schools.

Last week, Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III filed a bill seeking to reinstate death penalty, citing the alleged rise of criminal acts in the country.

In 2006, then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo approved the commutation to life imprisonment of death row convicts, and eventually signed a law abolishing the death penalty.

Earlier in the day, President Benigno Aquino III said the improvement of the country's justice system is more important than bringing back the death penalty.

Strengthen law enforcement

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara meanwhile said that the government should focus on strengthening law enforcement agencies instead of bringing back death penalty.

"Sa aking opinyon, tingnan muna natin ang implementasyon ng ating mga batas dahil ang mga ibang bansa ay moving towards wala nang death penalty," Angara said in a separate interview.

He added that even when the Philippines had a law on capital punishment, the Supreme Court tended to find "mitigating circumstances" to lower the sentence of death row convicts to life imprisonment.

Senator Cynthia Villar, for her part, also junked Sotto's bill, saying she was "pro-life."

Senator JV Ejercito, another neophyte lawmaker, on the other hand said he is considering Sotto's proposal.

"It’s a very controversial issue. It’s hard to have peace and order if criminals always get away with it. I feel siguro ever since it [death penalty] was taken away, I feel it’s still connected, especially with heinous crimes becoming regular," Ejercito said in a separate interview. — BM, GMA News

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