Power

Faye Cabildo

Death Penalty is a violation to the Human Rights for it oppresses inhumane execution to
the people. The thought of using death penalty to get rid of the drug users is not right. Life, that
is the most fundamental rights in Human rights. Taking a life and deciding whether that person
deserves it is far from our judgement. Because of this issue, violence is introduced to the country
having the tendency to kill innocent people like the LGBT community.

According to Human Rights report (2018), Human Rights issues included unlawful or
arbitrary killings, torture or life-threatening prison conditions. Due to the pandemic, the citizens
are in community quarantine. Setting a curfew until 8pm no one is allowed to be outside pass
8pm. Ronald campo was arrested for violating quarantine policies in Tropical Village, Barangay
San Francisco. He was beaten up by local police officers on duty that night, getting bruises
(Cahiles, 2020). Incidents like this kept happening until justice is served.

Torture is already a controversial issue to the people. The President issues police to
shoot-to-kill orders while encouraging citizens to kill drug users too (Jha, 2020). Death Penalty
have cause thousands of lives due to war on drugs, especially victimized children associated with
the extrajudicial killings. More blood will be shed if Death Penalty continues and Crime rate will
be increase. Human Rights groups say the police have targeted mostly poor communities, putting
suspects on drug list. According to the Human and People’ Rights declaration of the Philippines,
they must be treated equally before the law regardless of our political, social and economic
status. It only shows that justice is not served to those who don’t have money and power to the
society. Death penalty is ineffective solution for the country.

Majority of Filipinos are under the influence of Catholicism, even leaders use this to
judge people they believe is moral or social evil. The reasons they have siding in anti-death
penalty have strong religious beliefs upon human dignity. Though we should not compare
religion and politics, there are still factors arriving Filipinos into conclusion that Death Penalty is
not compatible inside the country.

Due to the corrupt system of the country where prisoners are poorly handled, where they
are detained in custody waiting for the trial is already a violation on Article 9 of the Covenant on
civil and political rights (Conde, 2016). There is a higher tendency that Death Penalty might
execute a person not being able to prove his innocence. In the Philippines, Officials address rich
criminal importantly, tend to live in a decent ward while in a custody, and receive medical
treatment sufficiently. On the other hand, officials drag criminals that don’t have any high social
status using violence and force.
 Unlike rich criminals like Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, they are forced to stay in poor
facilitated jail. They don’t get enough medical attention with the right equipment to use,
especially to those pregnant women. Lack of food supplies and cells that barely have enough
space to sleep in forcing prisoners to sleep on unwanted position. Toilet facilities are poorly
maintained, one of the factors why prisoners and officers are in suffocating conditions aside from
overcrowding (Conde, 2016). The government is also seeing the children as a potential criminal,
setting the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 12 to 15 years (Cullen, 2019). For
children like them don’t have to be directly brought in jail, instead they are put in “Bahay
Pagasa” wherein they encounter the same situation as the prisoners. They are also poor
facilitated and not handled well due to the insufficient financial support of the government. They
are giving more privilege to those who are superior than to those who is in need.

1,914 have been temporarily freed from jail due to the Good Conduct Time Allowance
(GCTA) law. Philippine police have been tracking them down, a violation to the Human Rights
where they are invading their privacy. People have been treating convicts badly because of their
heinous crimes. It is one the reasons why Ex-convicts are having trouble getting a job. They are
being discriminated because of the employer’s fear of their own safety. It is hard to develop trust,
especially when you are an ex-convict. People already set their minds that you will always
commit crimes without giving them a chance. So majority of the ex-convicts are unemployed
because of the trust issues of the company.

Though criminals are most likely to be discriminated and hated by the government,
President Rodrigo Duterte pardons a US Marine for killing a transgender. According to the
President, Joseph Scott Pemberton is presumed to be of good character after years in Jail. The
President also made his decisions to avoid any conflict within the Philippine’s relation to
America (Calonzo, 2020). It made an impact to the Family of Jennifer Laude asking for justice
by withdrawing Joseph scott Pemberton’s pardon and continue his remaining sentence in jail. It
also made an attack for the LGBTQ community for the government don’t have a strong sense of
justice when it comes to them. They see it as a degrading part for the reputation of LGBTQ
community, for they feel they are not yet fully accepted by the society regardless of their gender
identity.

As a result of this, Philippines hasn’t legalized yet of same sex marriage. One factor is
because of the major influence of Catholicism that the society sees it as a sin and inappropriate.
It is also believed that this is against Filipino culture for marriage is only between a man and a
woman. Parents plays a crucial role on a child’s developing years. Each parent has a gender role
to play with as a guidance to their child. Growing up, the child might lack masculinity or might
get pregnant at a young age. They should first start in making the LGBTQ community less prone
to discrimination. In that way, they are making a way for the society to fully accept them if it
stops.
 Human Rights covers a huge part in the society where actions of the people are
unconsciously violating them. Death Penalty Violates the basic rights of the citizens to live
which is very inhumane and ineffective as a way of dealing with criminals. We could never
avoid crimes in pursuing Death penalty, it will only provoke people to do more evil. Criminals
and the LGBTQ community are being discriminated and not yet fully accepted to the society.
The rights to non-discrimination among people regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender,
physical ability, sexual orientation, social beliefs and political convictions. Rights to privacy are
taken away from criminals because of their past records and is poorly treated.

The most violated is being free from corruption. The government has always been
abusing us with power.
 References
Cahiles, G. (2020, May 16). CNN Philippines. Retrieved from CNN Philippines:
https://www.cnn.ph/news/2020/5/16/police-allegedly-maul-quarantine-violator-general-
trias-cavite.html
Calonzo, A. (2020, September 7). Bloomberg. Retrieved from
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-07/duterte-pardons-u-s-marine-
guilty-of-transgender-killing
Conde, C. H. (2016, March 08). INQUIRER.NET. Retrieved from
https://opinion.inquirer.net/93566/injustice-and-misery-in-ph-jails#ixzz42JZ63eHL
Cullen, F. S. (2019, January 31). UCA news. Retrieved from
https://www.ucanews.com/news/philippines-treats-children-as-criminals/84387#
Jha, P. (2020, August 15). BBC NEWS. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-
53762570
Redfern, C. (2020, September 17). New York Times Magazine. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/magazine/philippines-marine-pardon-duterte.html