After three readings, the death penalty bill is on its way to becoming a law.
On Tuesday, March 7, 2017, the House of the Representatives approved the bill on its third and final reading in a bid to bolster the current administration’s anti-narcotics drive.
It was reported by ABS-CBN News that the death penalty would only be imposed for drug-related offenses. Last week, the House approved the bill on its second reading.
A total of 216 members voted in favor of the bill, while 54 members were against it. Only one person abstained.
Initially, there were 21 crimes that were listed as offenses punishable by death. They were later trimmed down to four. Plunder, rape, treason was included among the list.
Now, it was drastically reduced to only drug-related crimes.
The Philippines was the first country in Asia to abolish the death penalty in 1987. However, the Ramos administration reinstated it in 1993 because the crime rates were alleged to be growing higher during that time.
When President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took office, she once again abolished the penalty in 2006.
Last year, in the presidential elections, then-Mayor Rodrigo Duterte announced that he will bring back the death penalty if elected. He indicated that he prefers the form of capital punishment to be hanging rather than lethal injection.
Duterte cited that the move to re-impose the death penalty was not meant to deter crime, but for retribution. His exact words were: "Hindi 'yan to deter. Iyung death penalty to me is the retribution. Magbayad ka sa ginawa mo.”
source: Public Trending
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