Treñas favors death penalty reimposition

CEBU, Philippines – If Iloilo City lone district Representative Jerry Treñas will have his way, it is high time for the reintroduction of the death penalty.

“But only after a thorough discussion and debate on the matter has been made,” Treñas quickly pointed out, as he cited the need to revisit the Revised Penal Code and reimpose the death penalty law due to increasing number of heinous crimes.

“I would only favor for the death penalty imposition on heinous crimes like child rape, rape and slay, murder, policemen abusing their powers and illegal drugs,” he said.

Treñas said that, once the discussion is done, he could sponsor a bill for the reimposition of capital punishment, despite strong opposition from other lawmakers on this matter.

Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr. earlier said the death penalty is not the antidote to the rising incidents of crimes.

Talks about the revival of death penalty have drawn mixed reactions from the Filipinos, with a good number opposing it on religious and humanitarian grounds, while advocates viewing it as a way of deterring crimes.

Under the Marcos regime, drug trafficking also became punishable with death by firing squad. When Marcos was ousted in 1986, the 1987 Constitution limited the application of the death penalty to only a few crimes.

It was during the time of President Fidel V. Ramos when the capital punishment was reintroduced in response to increasing crime rates. This law provided the use of the electric chair until the gas chamber (chosen by the government to replace electrocution) could be installed.

It was in 1999, at the time of President Joseph Estrada, when convicted rapist Leo Echegaray was put on lethal injection. The following year, however, a moratorium on the death penalty imposition was ordered in deference to the celebration of the bimillenial anniversary of Christ’s birth.

It was resumed a year later. But on June 24, 2006, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act No. 9346, abolishing the capital punishment and replacing this with life imprisonment or reclusion perpetua.