Amnesty Int'l: Duterte’s call for death penalty revival will only worsen impunity

Amnesty International said on Monday that President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to revive the death penalty during his State of the Nation Address will only worsen the climate of impunity in the country amid the "deadly anti-drugs campaign."

“Extrajudicial killings remain rife in the Philippines. Talk of bringing back the death penalty for drug-related crimes is abhorrent, and risks aggravating the current climate of impunity,” said Amnesty International Philippines section director Butch Olano in a statement.

During his speech, Duterte urged Congress to reimpose death penalty for crimes related to drugs and plunder.

“Duterte’s endorsement of the death penalty comes weeks after the killing of a three-year-old girl in a police operation,” the group said, referring to the case of Myca Ulpina.

According to Olano, Duterte’s SONA is a "state of mourning" for letting children get killed amid "ill-conceived" police operations.

“This speech was a missed opportunity to take stock of the tragic killing of three-year-old Myca Ulpina, and thousands of others. The President addressed the topic of drugs but did not confront the truth,” he said.

Myca died in a police operation in Rodriguez, Rizal in June. Police claimed her father used her as a human shield during a buy-bust operation, which her mother said was not true.

Olano added Duterte should have taken an approach that delivers justice for the families of the thousands "unlawfully" killed, and effective health and social services for drug users.

“Kian’s killing became emblematic of the horrors of the so-called ‘war on drugs’, and the convictions of police officers were a small step towards the justice Filipinos deserve,” said Olano, referring to 17-year-old Kian delos Santos who was killed in a police anti-drug operation in Caloocan City.

“Now the country reels from the tragic killing of Myca Ulpina. She was three years old. If this tragedy does not move this administration to change course, it will be further proof of its wanton disregard for human life,” Olano said.

While Duterte is telling victim families to file cases before the court if the police illegally acted against them, Olano said that according to their research, many families are in fear of police’ reprisal if they do that.

“As long as the authorities deny these families their right to justice, international pressure on the architects of this murderous campaign will keep growing,” Olano said. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA News