Death Penalty: Human Rights Vs.

Human Life
“Your concern is human rights, mine is human life”, said by President Duterte on his
State of the Nation Address last 2018. After the election last May 2016, the new president
Rodrigo Duterte has given public support to the reintroduction of the death penalty. Due to the
increasing rate of criminals committing heinous crimes, the new administration thinks that re-
implementing death penalty could be a perfect solution. However, it is a big question if the
death penalty could really be a solution to deter crimes. Will criminals be afraid to commit
crimes if they see that the government is determined to execute them?

The Philippines was the first Asian country to abolished death penalty under the 1987
Constitution in 2016 after former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed a law reducing
maximum punishment to life imprisonment. In today’s world it has been one of the most
debated phrases in legal system. People are in favor of death penalty claimed that is cost less
that life imprisonment. It honors the victims and their families, and it prevents future crimes.
On the other hand, people who contradict death penalty claim that it is unfair to all the people.
It has no effect on criminal’s mindset. Philosophical politicians and the church are against to the
re-implementations of death penalty as a law in the country. According to Amnesty
International, “Death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhumane, and degrading punishment”.

Amnesty International believes that past records shows that death penalty is never
effective in eradicating crimes. Even after a number of executions in 1999 (when Leo Echegaray
and six others were put to death by lethal injection) no pronounce drop and index crimes was
observed. The incidents in index crimes even rise by 8.8% from 1999-2002(as cited in Rappler
news). It only means that crime rates still exist even the death penalty is implemented. There is
no profound evidence that it really deters people to commit crimes. In addition, some studies
also show that death penalty is an anti-poor type of law. It is really visible that those wealthy
inmates can hire a lawyer that can defend them in the court. However , those poor and
sometimes an innocent inmates cannot defend themselves, and this will result to put them to
death.

Philippines are a major Roman Catholic country, which means that we value the life of
every person. Killing a killer could never be a solution. We should not let our anger dimmed the
goodness in our heart in forgiving other people. A criminal being sentenced to life
imprisonment has a decent chance of changing or rehabilitating. We should always remember
that death penalty is a form of revenge. We cannot bring back an executed person back to life.
As a human in order to have a humane society we should both value human life and human
rights.