VP: Death penalty won’t deter crime

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Leni Robredo believes that the death penalty will not deter crime in a country with an imperfect justice system like the Philippines.

She stressed the need to address the root causes of the problem, including providing solutions to poverty and strengthening the justice system.

“We are of the opinion that the severity of the punishment is not the problem and would not lessen crimes in the country,” she said.

“It is the timely and effective delivery of justice that would be a deterrent to criminals.  

“The certainty of punishment would ensure that people avoid committing crimes and break the law. Once the citizens know that he or she will be punished for a crime, it would prevent them from doing it.”

Robredo gave the message through a representative who spoke yesterday during a forum on right to life at the University of the Philippines College of Law.

She said the government has the duty to respect the life of all citizens, even those who have been convicted of crimes.

“We believe that every person should be given a second chance at life. Convicted criminals should be rehabilitated and be given a chance for reintegration… We should not give up on those who have done wrong, and we should exhaust all means possible to help them rehabilitate and be reintegrated in the society,” she said.

Robredo said criminality is a problem that requires solutions from different fronts.

“Crimes are multi-dimensional issues that cannot be solved simply by the threat of capital punishment… When economies are doing well, poverty is held at bay, when social safety nets are in place, people are focused on living a good life rather than making lives miserable for others,” she said.

Senate majority vs death penalty

On the sidelines of the forum, Sen. Leila de Lima told reporters that a majority of the senators would join her in opposing the passage of President Duterte’s priority measure of re-imposing capital punishment.

“I can feel that possibly, a majority of the members of the Senate are against the death penalty,” she said.

“I have an idea on who are my allies in opposing the death penalty, although I cannot be too sure. I hope my count is right.”

De Lima expressed confidence that the Senate would thoroughly review the bill seeking to reimpose capital punishment.

Among those to be tackled are her proposed alternative to lengthen the penalty of reclusion perpetua from 40 to 50 years without eligibility for parole.

De Lima said crime deterrence is not based on the existence of the death penalty, but on how laws are implemented.

“There can only be certainty of punishment if we have a duly functioning and effective justice system, especially the five pillars of the criminal justice system: investigators, prosecutors, courts or judges, correctional and the community,” she said.

‘Railroaded’ in House

During the forum, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman said the sub-committee on judicial reforms of the House of Representatives’ committee on justice railroaded on Tuesday the passage of the consolidated version of the bill.

He cited violation of rules, including the non-compliance with the three-day notice rule, the lack of the required committee report and the abrupt termination of the testimonies of resource persons.

“At the rate the House of Representatives is fast-tracking the approval of the substitute measure for House Bill No. 1 and five other death penalty bills, it is not farfetched that we will see a Christmas gift of death while we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ,” he said.