The reinstitution of Death Penalty in the Philippines

A. Make your own critique of the issue based on your own understanding of human
person.

For the second time, President Rodrigo Duterte uses his State of the Nation Address to
ask Congress to bring back the death penalty, highlighting how illegal drugs kept by terrorists in
Marawi had led to military action on May 23, 2017, that developed into a 5-month siege
between state forces and extremists. However, the reinstitution of the Capital Punishment or
the so-called "Death Penalty” as a solution to heinous crimes in the country is clearly immoral.

Death as a punishment is discriminatory. It is often used against the most vulnerable

individuals in society, including the poor, ethnic and religious minorities, and mentally disabled
individuals. It is used by some governments to silence their rivals. And where judicial systems
are faulty and unfair trials are rampant, there is always the danger of an innocent individual
being executed. Reinstituting the death penalty in the Philippines is a very serious and
problematic issue that is still prevailing until now. Upon relating it to the human person, death
penalty is one of the problems that opposes to life itself. The death penalty violates the most
fundamental human right which is the right to live. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and
degrading punishment. Our human dignity should not be taken away from us because we have
the freedom to live and we are created in the image and likeness of God. Though people are
inherently capable of doing sin, it does not mean that if one sins, he is becoming less human,
and thus he is worthless, and should be killed. However, having death penalty reinstituted also
affects our justice and the society positively. Putting ourselves in the positions of the victims,
the families’ victims and the fear caused to society in general, death penalty gives closure and
justice to the people who are involved in the tragedy. On the negative side, people who have
received the death penalty are still not rehabilitated. They will murder, rape, and torture again
if these individuals have the chance.
 The human person is a social being. Each one of us has the right to choose and do what
we want. If only we have the mindset of helping other people, we can have a connection that
builds relationship to each other.

Death penalty being reinstituted still violates the human rights. It is considered as a
murder because we are killing one’s life through death sentences.

B. Which notions/principles of the human person are at stake in this case?

Reinstituting death penalty in the Philippines affects the three notions or principles of
human persons that is visible in the case. First, death punishment does not lead to crime
deterrence, instead it may actually increase the crime rates in the Philippines. The first notion
or principle which concerns about the society and human person is affected because the social
order is not subordinated with the human person. The death penalty could affect the society as
it violates the fundamental rights of the human person which is the right to live. It takes away
the gift of self-possession. It means that in order to have a just society we need to consider the
person as presented the ultimate end of society that it must be correlated to the human
person.

Second, the human person’s freedom is being manipulated in the situation wherein
death penalty can take away the human dignity of the person. The human person is being
manipulated because death punishment can take away the development of the person wherein
his/her actions are not accountable for the decision of the jury especially for those innocent
people. The human person should not be manipulated because we are created in the image
and likeness of God wherein, we have the rights to exercise our freedom.

Lastly, death penalty can affect the person’s development of its growth process. It can
affect the economic, social, political issues in the process. With death penalty, the value of
human life is being threatened. The human person should not carry out the problems that
might harm his/her own dignity. These three notions or principles of human person are being
affected in the case because if death penalty is being reinstituted it can take away human
person’s dignity and freedom to live.
 C. What should be the fitting and morally correct response on this case?
The society mistaken death penalty as a solution to reduce and stop heinous crimes. The
answer to stop heinous crimes lies in reducing violence, not causing death. In fact, researches
show that death penalty has no deterrent effect in the attempt to reduce and stop crimes.
Thus, President Rodrigo Duterte’s initiative in the reinstitution of the Capital Punishment in the
country because of certain issues such as the prevalence of illegal drugs should not be passed
to law. There are still numerous ways on addressing specific issues on crime. As the nation’s
frontline, Duterte together with the government must first revisit and enhance the justice
system of the country. Before even thinking of reinstituting death penalty, they should consider
the rights and dignity of every human person. If the reason to reinstitute death penalty is
because of the prevalence of illegal drugs in the country, then the government should build
more rehabilitation centers, and strengthen security in the country, etc. They must focus on
this specific issue and not cross to other issues which leads to the reinstitution of the death
penalty. Rehabilitation must always be valued rather than retribution.

D. How would you respond to this issue?

With this issue, we are called to understand and apprehend more on what it really
means to be a human person. To be a human person is to be with the image and likeness of
God. Thus, as a human person, we are inherent on doing good. However due to the society and
our environment, we are also becoming inherent to doing sin. The reinstitution of death
penalty in the country per se is naturally evil. We all know that taking away one’s life is an
ultimate sin. Thus, having death penalty is immoral. And as a human person, we are created in
the image and likeness of God, which excludes being inherently evil.

With this notion, we are challenged to change our perspective towards justice. For it is
because of “justice” that puts the need of the reinstitution of death penalty. As Christians, we
are challenged to show to the society the value of the gift life— the sacredness of human life.
This is a calling for us to partake with the issue, and to voice out the sacredness of human life,
and of human dignity. Lastly, we are called to exercise rightly the free gifts and our rights.
How does the Universal Declaration of Human Rights challenge the community? School? You?

The community: There are many social problems such as discrimination, racial inequality,
poverty and etc., which are still prevailing until now. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
challenges the community to be aware and to partake with these social issues. The community
is challenged to respond to the calls of the people especially to those who are morally, socially,
and spiritually oppressed.

The school: Problems such as bullying, gender inequality, and gender discrimination are just
some of the problems a student experiences in a school. The Universal Declaration of Human
Rights calls the school to educate children, especially the youth, on these rights, and teach
them ways on how to respond on such issues mentioned. Furthermore, the school is challenged
to mold the youth in their moral, social, and spiritual aspects for the youth to fully exercise their
rights.

The individual person: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights challenges our minds to seek
for truth within ourselves and ask ourselves if we are capable of being a human person that can
build connections and relationship with each other. We have the rights to express our feelings
and emotions to others. We are capable of communicating with other people because of our
mindset to help the others. The UDHR calls us to exercise the free gifts God has given to us,
especially the gift of Original Holiness, and Original Justice. As individuals, we are called to
always do the things which leads us closer to Him.