Duterte vows daily executions if death penalty is revived

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to execute criminals daily once the death penalty is restored.

 

Duterte, who has launched a bloody war against illegal drugs and criminality, said he can execute five or six death row convicts every day.

 

RELATED: Death penalty bill heads to House floor

 

“Eh may death penalty wala namang nangyari noon. Eh anak ka ng — ibalik mo sa akin yan, ako ang mag — araw-arawin ko yan, lima o anim. Totoo (There was death penalty then and yet nothing happened. Restore it and I will execute criminals every day — five or six. That’s for real),” he said during the 38th birthday celebration of his ally Sen. Manny Pacquiao in General Santos Saturday night.

 

“Kaya ko hinihingi kasi talagang hihiritan kita. Eh kung ayaw niyo ibalik ang death penalty, eh di ibang hirit tayo (I was asking for it because I want to use it against you. If you don’t want to restore death penalty, we will try a different approach),” he added without elaborating.

 

LIST: Crimes punishable by proposed death penalty

 

It was not clear if Duterte, who is fond of hyperbole and colorful language, is serious about his pronouncement about the conduct of daily executions. The president though has been pushing for the restoration of death penalty, saying it would serve as a retribution for those who committed serious crimes.

 

Capital punishment was scrapped in 1987 during the presidency of Corazon Aquino but was reimposed in 1993 under then President Fidel Ramos, who now serves as Duterte’s adviser.

 

Crimes that were punishable by death include kidnapping, murder, drug trafficking and rape.

 

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a practicing Roman Catholic, abolished capital punishment anew in 2006. President Benigno Aquino III also rejected capital punishment, saying it is more important to fix the problems in the Philippine justice system.

 

Before assuming the presidency, Duterte said he would like to execute criminals by hanging, believing those who were under the influence of drugs have been reduced to a “bestial state.”

 

“Hang first and then there will be another ceremony for a second time until the head is completely severed from the body. I'd like that because I am mad," Duterte said in a press conference last May.

 

The Roman Catholic Church, the religion of more than 80 percent of Filipinos, has been opposed to death penalty, saying sinners should not be eliminated but should instead be given a chance to amend their lives.

 

The bill restoring death penalty has been approved on committee level at the House of Representatives, which is dominated by allies of the president. Senate leaders, however, expect the controversial measure to be subjected to long debates.