07-11-2024
Kevin Ngoma
South and East Asia Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence.
Following disclosures of serious criminal activity discovered during previous hearings, the Philippine House of Representatives quad committee may suggest reintroducing the death sentence for egregious offences as a deterrence. The primary presiding officer, Representative Robert Ace Barbers, stressed that the committee’s goals are to solve systemic problems through legislative reforms in addition to exposing criminal activity. To combat rising crime rates and pervasive impunity, this may involve bringing back the death penalty.
Barbers voiced their dissatisfaction with the current situation of law and order, pointing out that police are allegedly involved in murders for financial gain, especially in drug-related cases. He drew attention to a moral decline in organisations where extrajudicial executions for financial gain were allegedly committed by law enforcement officers. According to the committee’s investigation, police officers were allegedly paid to kill people who were suspected of drug offences, which further muddies the issue of justice and accountability.
The movement to reinstate the death penalty is a reflection of current discussions in the Philippines, where pro-life and human rights organisations fear it could result in wrongful executions, while anti-crime activists contend that it could discourage severe crimes. Prior to being abolished by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2006, the death penalty was historically revived under the administration of President Fidel Ramos and implemented by President Joseph Estrada.
The abuses in the previous administration’s drug war have been the focus of the committee’s recent hearings, including one in which a member of the National Police Commission was cited for contempt. A hitman who described the killing of three Chinese nationals convicted of narcotics charges in the Davao prison was among the testimonies. The committee is still looking into these purported abuses in an effort to find answers and pass legislation.
Sources and further reading:
Red Mendoza, ‘House quad committee proposes revival of death penalty’, (Manila Times September 2024),
https://www.manilatimes.net/2024/09/27/news/house-quad-committee-proposes-revival-of-death-penalty/1975132 , accessed November 5th, 2024.
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