ANGELES UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION

COLLEGE OF NURSING

MODULE 4 ACTIVITY:
“THE PHILIPPINE
CONSTITUTION” IN READINGS
IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
(RE-IMPOSITION OF DEATH
PENALTY)

SUBMITTED BY:

Agustin, Angela Shane M.

BSN I – A
Introduction

There are numerous debates about the re-imposition of the death penalty in
criminal justice in the Philippines. The death penalty is one of society’s issues that
divides people’s beliefs. Many are against, and many are in favor of it, but is it really
urgent to re-impose the death penalty especially at this difficult time of pandemic?

Discussion

The issue that has been circulating in social media these days about the re-
imposition of the death penalty has become a hot topic. Duterte’s administration’s
overwhelming majority in Congress continues to put the effort into promoting Duterte’s
campaign on “war on drugs”. It has actually resulted in a massive number of deaths of
more than 6,000 persons under the hands of the Philippine National Police and
thousands more by unidentified gunmen. Accountability for the police killings, including
those that victimized children, is practically nonexistent. Adopting the death penalty will
only result in adding dirt in Duterte’s “drug war” and causing the Philippines to a right-
violating abyss. (Conde, 2020)

According to Amnesty International (2017), implementing the death penalty in the

Philippines as our response to drugs is inhumane, ineffective punishment, and is never
the solution. There is no evidence that the death penalty has a deterrent effect upon
suppressing such crimes. Under international law, the death penalty should be
abolished for it hasn’t been proven to be efficacious to the prevention of criminal acts
and it has been considered invalid. In 2007, the Philippines authorized an international
treaty that prohibits execution and commits the country to the termination of the death
penalty. Legally, it cannot be withdrawn at any time.

If the re-imposition of the death penalty will be implemented, the only people who
will experience this are the most disadvantaged and vulnerable members of our
society--the people who are most likely to have their rights violated or disregarded. In
other words, the poor. In May 2004, there was a survey conducted by the Free Legal
Assistance Group (FLAG) revealing that the total number of death penalty inmates
belongs to the poor. The data collected in the survey just proves that the death penalty
mostly kills the poor, and as usual, criminal justice here in the Philippines only favors
the rich. (Senate of the Philippines, 2017)

Conclusion
There are many pros and cons to the issues about the re-imposition of the death
penalty in our country, but I believe that the implementation of death penalty is
unnecessary especially at this difficult time of the pandemic. Death penalty does not
stop people from doing such crimes, people will still kill and steal if there is still poverty,
unemployment, and corruption in the government. Yes, the death penalty can save lives
and give justice to the oppressed, but it violates the person to live. No matter how heavy
the sin the person committed, nobody is entitled to take someone else’s life. 

References
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL. (2017, March 7). Retrieved from Philippines: The Death Penalty
is an inhumane, unlawful, and ineffective response to drugs:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/03/philippines-the-death-penalty-is-an-
inhumane-unlawful-and-ineffective-response-to-drugs/

Conde, C. (2020, August 5). HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH. Retrieved from Death Penalty Danger
in the Philippines : https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/08/05/death-penalty-danger-
philippines

Senate of the Philippines 18th Congress. (2017, February 20). Retrieved from LIBERAL PARTY
POSITION PAPER ON DEATH PENALTY:
http://legacy.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2017/0220_pangilinan1.asp