Should Congress Give in to Duterte’s Demand to Reinstate the Death Penalty?

death_penalty_philippines

The Philippines is the Menudo melting pot where religion and politics mix together to come up with a colorful and interestingly flavored concoction unique to this mixed-breed people that conspicuously keep appearing in headlines with all the noise they generate from their small corner of the globe.

Again we are talk of the town all over the world as The Punisher graces the cover of Time Magazine. And what more can you expect from the man – with a mouth that fires daunting threats (against the objects of his fuming rage) as deadly as the blazing guns he uses to turn his city of Davao into a peaceful haven of rest for many crime-weary Filipinos – than to be true to his word of suppressing criminality in lightning-fast fashion – the very reason he was voted into power for.

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As New York Times reports:

Mr. Duterte said he would ask Congress to reimpose the death penalty, which has been suspended since 2006 in the face of staunch opposition from the dominant Roman Catholic Church. Capital punishment by hanging, he said, should be imposed for heinous crimes, and criminals convicted of killing, robbery and rape should receive “double the hanging.

Why Believe in Catholic Priests?

With about 90% of the population being adherents of the Christian faith, it is quite ironic that many priests and citizens are against capital punishment. However, it is a breath of fresh air to at least hear news that newly elected  Christian Senators Villanueva and Pacquiao seem to show signs that they are reading their textbook.

Look: The New Testament (the main textbook of every adherent) itself supports it. Read for yourselves what it says about secular government …

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

Did you see that? “bear the sword” = Government is allowed to kill.

Unless we think that the opinions of local priests are over and above the written constitution of their religious institution (the very foundation of their belief system), we should not even be listening to their nonsense when it goes against it. We as lay individuals have as much gray matter in our brain as these self-proclaimed leaders of the faith. They have nothing on us – so why should we be giving more weight to their “opinions” than to what our basic common sense dictates and what we can read with our very own eyes?

That’s like giving more credence to what your local high-school teacher has to say than to a scientific paper extensively peer-reviewed by experts in the first world.

The Catholic priests call for the respect of even one human life (the criminal). Did they think about the human lives (in plural) that fall into the hands of just one lone serial raping/murdering son of a bitch? – and the many more the apathetic sadist will victimize if he manages to escape or bribe his way out of our leaky justice system.

Common sense dictates the death penalty should be reinstated:

  1. It is an effective deterrent against crime if executed relentlessly
  2. It lowers the cost of maintaining our pathetic and dehumanizing penal system
  3. Congress will be abolished and a revolutionary government will be set up if lawmakers get in the way of President Duterte fulfilling his promise to the people
  4. It will fatten the fish in Manila Bay (which will be good news to fishermen in the area who complain of hardly catching anything much nowadays)

Now just imagine. No.3 is a lot of porky meat failing to line the deep pockets of our lawmakers who have invested so much just to be in the position they are in now (how about their ROI?); would they really want to miss out on that if their club gets abolished?

Even better, if these hardened criminals fight it out in gun battles as Du30 would prefer it, just imagine the cost savings in investigations and litigation proceedings, fees to lawyers and judges, and the years of board and lodging taxpayers have to shoulder – it just saves our society so much time, effort & money if they just died on the spot where they are found red-handed committing the heinous act they have no shame in (such as sniffing the life out of a poor kidnap victim whose parents failed to bring the full ransom for).

Filipinos are Changing – From Emotionalism to Common Sense 

We may still remember how the entire country was engulfed in sorrow and tears when just one of our precious kababayans had to hang abroad (Flor Contemplacion, Singapore), or the relief it gave an anxious vigil-holding fingers-crossed people when such an execution was stayed (Mary Jane Veloso, Indonesia).

Somehow the memories and fears associated with these emotion-filled experiences got calloused out with the relentless Du30 speeches that have bombarded our ears these recent months filled with his expletive-laced “I will kill you” lines; and instead of cry, we all began to laugh. What has become of our people? Well, I guess – we just got our common sense back with the rise of Mr. No-Nonsense Mayor of the Philippines.

So let’s get those “heads rolling” guys… coz there’s a lot of culling to do in the land of dysfunctional drug-intoxicated zombies. And don’t worry; at 100M and baby factories churning out even more than we can ask or imagine, 10 heads a week won’t even make a dent.

34 Replies to “Should Congress Give in to Duterte’s Demand to Reinstate the Death Penalty?”

  1. I believe in capital punishment. The Death Penalty should be brought back. Religion should stay away from government. We are not a Theocracy…

    Hardened criminals are emboldened to commit heinous crimes; because they know they will not be executed. They will end up in Bilibid Prison, manufacturing Shabu, and get rich. Who would not want to become a criminal?

  2. there will never have peace in the Philippines unless they distribute hacienda luisita to the farmers at no cost. it’s their land. they must uproot the cause of misery for the Pilipinos so there will no more fight to fight for. then, Philippines will prosper. it’s the first step duterte should do distribute the land and have them pay for the land they converted to housing, golf course, commercial center, etc. agricultural land should never be converted to anything else.

  3. As if those fucking priest will the one be the one to fully rehab those assholes. They don’t even pay tax so they have no say to government, they should just preach in corner for their blind followers. They don’t pay for criminals food in prison, or in court so they should have no rights to meddle.

  4. There is much abuse of power in the Government and the ruling elites that mostly decides the fate of the common people, Death Penalty is I think the most effective protection that the common people will have in a system that does not listen to the cry of injustice.

  5. At a detached level,I support capital punishment,more for the fact that it removes the chance of the executed repeating their crimes.

    At a more practical level,virtually everybody complains about the incompetence and corruption in the justice system,from police to Supreme Court.

    Hands up everybody who would be happy to be accused of an offence they did not commit with the likelihood of the death penalty.

    1. The flawed Justice system has contributed alot to the country’s demise, It is evident that the Government has declared war to it’s citizens by their deliberate and constant neglect. It is this war that innocents die daily by poverty, and hunger, and as we witnessed in Yolanda -by the thousands, why kidapawan Farmers were killed because in our society justice is only illusion.

    2. In any war there’s always some collateral damage. A few will die in the crossfire. But the gains for the greater good of society as a whole far outweigh these negligible losses.

      1. You do realize that this supposed “War” could be prevented if the “oppressed” side would just wisen up and put people who actually look out for them?

  6. The condemned man’s voice is laced with dark promise as he/she continues. “Remember Father, evil is simply ‘live’ spelt backwards.”

  7. We now have to ask the question what would be considered a heinous crime. Capital punishment should also include the conviction of politicians because corruption and plunder needs to be considered a heinous crime and political immunity must be removed. There is nothing like the option of death that makes you check in balance if your actions and decisions are based under a moral code, because it forces you to ask, do you believe in repercussions after death, “Are you prepared to meet your maker?” If every politician are placed under the gun and asked the question “Will you be willing to sign a contract that if you as an elected representative of the people are convicted of corruption and plunder, you are willing under oath, to accept the capital punishment?” This way the people will see who the true representative of the people are. This is the only way to make capital punishment a true deterrent and its a top to bottom process that does not discriminate people based on social status. If our beloved Mayor of the Philippines is the first one with the balls and integrity to sign this contract then the serpent can be killed in one swift blow. Capital punishment is his-story the story of Christ, the first Christians who were Catholics were given the same ultimatum by the Romans. If you say you are not a Christian you will live or else you will die. The Catholic Church was built on the blood of these martyrs and civility begins with a choice. Give the chosen elect this choice and civility will flow down into the masses.

  8. Zaxx,
    All I hope and wish for is that you will never end up in death row while not being guilty at all.
    Furthermore, and if I am not mistaken a few USA states still have the death penalty. I dont see crime going down in USA. So for me the death penalty is useless.

    I think the majority of most Western European countries see the death penalty as something barbaric.

    Personally, I could be in favor of the death penalty bec I guess its cheaper than holding somebody in jail for a life time.

    Finally, I have learned something new today: Religion (read: catholicism) is not about love. Its actually also about killing. Now I undersatand where hatred among religions come from.

  9. Maybe the US needs a more painful method of execution. Putting a guy to sleep by injections is hardly frightening at all.

    “Humane execution” is an oxymoron. The reason you execute is to scare people.

    Hanging should be scary enough for Pinoys. Decapitating the genitals using a machete would be far scarier. Maybe Pinoys should be given the choice.

    1. Hanging is associated too much with lynches done by the KKK in the bygone days so US has been steering clear away from that.

      Hanging is the go to choice for Japan and Korea. Not sure if PH will follow that method since it’s always preferred to copycat Uncle Sam in everything.

      Personally, I think firing squad is the best, but I know that over in the Philippines, that is considered somewhat of a “noble” form of execution.

  10. Capital punishment must be reinstated ASAP. Blatant disregard to life by all the murderers, pedophiles, rapists and drug dealers and other scums of society. Bring back the Guillotine and install fear to whoever wants to commit this heinous crimes.

  11. Do some research first. Visit a few PAO lawyers from different regions. Inquire about complaints against police/PDEA frame-ups – modus, frequency, outcomes. PAO lawyers would know if their client is guilty or innocent.

    Hulidap is a very lucrative “venture”. A rogue team would typically round up 2 to 5 victims PER NIGHT. That victim could just be your “boy” na inutusan mo lang bumili ng toyo sa kanto. Because the justice system here is so primitive, victims would rather just “settle” than get incarcerated for 2 years defending themselves from the frame-up. Settlement ranges from P20k to P200+k per victim. Good pickings for just one night of operations. It is so lucrative that detention cells are typically overflowing with bounty.

    With the death penalty, expect “settlement fees” to go up. Expect these rogue cops then to become extra eager and diligent with their business venture. With this situation, the masses will not really get the solution they’ve been clamoring for. Instead, death penalty will just victimize them, the poor, even more.

    Areas that Du30 should focus on instead:
    1) improve the justice system – modernization, additional manpower
    2) additional manpower for enforcement
    3) strengthening of the Internal Affairs Service of our PNP. I/A staff is usually a “kabaro” also – no use!

    I heard the DDS has also functioned as an oversight to the PNP’s I/A in Davao. It wasn’t just some dumb vigilante squad. I’d say – 4) strengthen the DDS.

  12. What happened to this site?
    Condoning the death penalty?
    Using the bible to condone capital punishement?
    Fuck it why not bring back slavery to while you are at it?
    Why not also refuse women to speak in church?
    Hell fuck it why not also kill a woman on her marriage night if she is not a virgin.
    Here is the reality.
    Corruption is rampant in the pnp, the author knows this, this site has stated as much 100s of times.
    These are the people you are going to put your faith in to help pursue ” bad people”.
    Your words here has not only just made you sound stupid. You have just condoned collateral damage of innocent lives to make you feel safe……
    How would you feel if these innocent collateral damage victims are someone you know? Your brother, sister, cousin, boyfriend/girlfriend…you?

    The death penalty does not reduce crime.
    It makes criminals more dangerous.
    It makes drugs more expensive.
    It increases drug related crime because drugs are more expensive.
    This is not an opinion..this is a fact.
    Learn from other countries mistakes, learn from history.

    This has all the signs of evil idiocy throught out your entire rant.
    Did you grow up on action movies child and percieve them as reality?

    You make points about the death penalty like its a fact that it does the things u say.
    It does not.
    Its why most countries abolished it.
    Only fucked up retarded backward thinking third world shitholes that have no idea what facts, cause and effect or what utter complete total poverty forces some people to do would think your rant contains a single word of wisdom.

    I used to love reading this site.
    To know that you condone the collateral damage so people can feel safe at night shows me that not only you are an idiot, but you are an unempathetic psychopath that has no real inclining what it means to be morale, humane or intelligent.

    Duterte has some good ideas…..following him blindly on his awful ones is not what people of a democratic society do.
    If just one innocent is killed then it is one to many.
    This is not a war…this is a third world country that has been ravaged by greedy families for far too long and the crime, poverty and social breakdown is the result…not the cause.

    FYI one innocent death means the perpetrators are muderers too….so what is good for the goose should be good for the gander.

    1. Nice try.

      Any Biblical scholar can easily dismantle your argument’s use of the scriptures you just mentioned. Try digging deeper…

      Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation of the Bible. While Jewish and Christian biblical hermeneutics have some overlap, they have distinctly different interpretive traditions.

      Dispensationalism is a religious interpretive system for the Bible. It considers Biblical history as divided deliberately by God into defined periods or ages to each of which God has allotted distinctive administrative principles. 

      Apologetics is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of information. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their faith against critics and recommended their faith to outsiders were called apologists.

      (source: wiki)

      Jonathan Welton has a good take on the misconception on women speaking in Churches.

      Capital punishment was not only condoned in the Bible, it was central to the overall Biblical story. Without capital punishment, there would have been no shedding of the Christ’s blood, which is necessary in the grand plan of salvation. Even Ananias and Sapphira were divinely executed in the early church -> to instill fear. The scripture in the article was written by Paul in the church age (book of Romans), which makes it applicable to current believers.

      Studies Say Death Penalty Deters Crime

      Each execution deters an average of 18 murders, according to a 2003 nationwide study by professors at Emory University. (Other studies have estimated the deterred murders per execution at three, five and 14)

      Regarding the wrongly convicted people getting executed, isn’t that even a greater call to improve & try to perfect our legal and justice system to ensure it doesn’t happen; rather than making the dilapidated state of justice in the country a convenient excuse?

      And even if there is a slim possibility of a wrong conviction – just do the math and you can tell, capital punishment in the end leads to fewer deaths of the innocent.

      Hypothetical example:

      Case 1. With Capital Punishment
      29 criminals executed + 1 innocent (wrongly convicted) executed + 29 innocent victims of heinous crimes ===> Total of 30 innocent deaths

      Case 2. Without Capital Punishment
      29 criminals jailed + 1 innocent (wrongly convicted) jailed + 290 victims of heinous crimes (using a conservative “absence of deterrence” ratio of 1:10) ===> Total of 291 innocent deaths

      So you tell me which position has the moral high ground.

      For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. (1Peter2)

      Remember Jesus himself was falsely accused – yet that didn’t keep the author of His Story from making something good come out of a bad thing.

      Sorry if you found the article sounding stupid. I do actually sound stupid to people who lack common sense. Cheers.

      1. *Total of 290 innocent deaths + 1 innocent incarceration (Case 2)

        And one more thing. You do not follow the U.S. and other modern western powers for moral guidance. They are on a moral decline: same-sex marriage, murder of unborn infants, sex outside marriage, removal of the 10 commandments from public places, etc.

        America has strayed a long way off the path and original intent of its Bible-based founding fathers. Adopt and use their technology, but don’t copy their immorality and lawlessness. Now they are clueless as to why there are so many…

        Rampage killers (school massacres)

        Here’s a sample …

        On May 23, 2014, in Isla Vista, California, Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured fourteen others near the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara.

        The attack began when 22-year-old Rodger stabbed three men to death in his apartment. Afterwards, he drove to a sorority house and shot three female students outside, killing two… Before driving to the sorority house, Rodger uploaded a video to YouTube, titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution”, in which he outlined details of his upcoming attack and his motives. He said he wanted to punish women for rejecting him and to punish sexually-active men for living a more enjoyable life than his.

        1. Ummmm.
          Its impossible to rationalize with religious biggots.
          So will not even try.
          Though anyone can see you are talking out your ass.
          Oh and there are more countries around other than america…..u know the ones that ” do not” have the death penalty nor mass school shootings nor such a huge christian population.
          Seems the more religious a country the more problems.
          But hey your indoctrinated mind and your unempathetic nature needs a big bad boss to tell you what to do.
          Thinking for yourself not really a strong point is it zaxx?

        2. zaxx,

          Everyone in every country is on a moral decline, and it’s not religion–or lack of it–that’s the culprit. The real culprit is our egos.

          Aeta

    2. Voice,
      I fully agree with you.

      Killing drug traffickers wont solve a thing. I am sure that all the PH drug lords wont butch bec of that threat. The only ones who get killed are the ones who sell drugs to me on the streets and maybe probably me (as end-user).
      If they want to do something about the drug trade they should make sure that no drugs enter the country and that the drug addicts get rehab.
      As long as president Duterte will kill drug offenders, I suggest he also kills all people suffering from STDs, HIV/AIDS and pregnant teenage girls. At least then he is consistent.

  13. No one can Moralize death since killing is bound in morals whether it is lawful or unlawful…Basis of Christian principle commandment that is ” Thou shall not Kill” defines that there is no difference if one person was killed out of circumstance, passion, greed. Even harshest punishment such as death cant bring back life. It’s about mercy and justice, in case of Euthanasia, a person dying and suffering of Cancer, can death be justified? Can mercy outweigh death? Or if a convicted criminal guilty of heinous crime can really perceive the value of life? Cause one can’t accept life without accepting death.

      1. Poor masses have no fighting chance against ultra liberal anarchist form of government. If they are being fed to the lions of a fake democracy what choice do they have ?

  14. Link to PDF document

    Zaxx the site u gave research from was from one very biased bible belt state….
    But hey look im not hear to change your mind…just that of your readers if anyone swallows your ramblings.
    Your justice system here has failed and needs fixing.
    Your whole culture is one of corruption.
    From every facet of this country in the ten years i have been there corruption is everywhere.
    From paying an service bill to getting a ticket…its everywhere.
    And somehow trusting your police service, government and local politicians with bringing back capital punishment is going to fix it?
    No.
    Sorry. No.
    Drugs are a health issue. Killing drug users is un moralistic.
    Killing anyone unless they are murderers or rapists is highly questionable and purely a show of force by a government in hoping to deter younger people with no skills, no future from using and dealing drugs.
    Scary that 40% of filipinos agree with your way of thinking.
    Quick fixes. They always work dont they.
    U will sacrifice fear for your freedom.
    Over the 80 to 90 years the war on drugs has gone one only one thing has been found to deter use and reduce crime.
    Legalization…legalize pot and all other drug use goes down.
    We know this.
    We see this.
    Blaming young people that come from the squatters area with no opportunity to get out, that see a life of crime as the only opportunity and then killing them because of the failure of this countries people and government to do a single thing to help anyone other than themselves…..

    As if drug planting and setting up people for cash is not already a problem. Lol u guys make me laugh and cry for the loss of life at the same time.
    And im not even a Christian and i care more for humans then you.

    1. Did you notice your source actually quotes VP Binay to support it’s argument? Credibility just went down the drain there.

      I’m not really for executing drug users; I’m more for ridding the country of the real scum of the earth like the guys who just beheaded the Australian hostage down South. So you can bring your pro-drugs arguments elsewhere.

      If you’re not a Christian, you really don’t have much business arguing against the article since my only point is: For those 90% of Christians in PH who think the Bible is against capital punishment, FYI – it is not. So let Du30 do his thing. He seems to be the only president for a long time who has the balls to really DO things in this country.

      1. Amnesty international is not a creditable site to use for information?
        Wow bro.
        Seriously just wow.
        I just….im in awe.
        To say Amnesty international is a dubious credibility source just shows your are living in a fantasy land.
        Hey wasn’t binay your vice president at one stage?
        I said before im all for ” some”of the good ideas coming out of duterte’s camp.
        Captial punishment is a step in the wrong direction and a step back in time.
        To say people in asia dothings differently or that morality is different here is a complete cop out.
        Filipinos are bo different to any other human.
        Your problem is not your race.
        Its the poverty so many of your country men face with no actual way out.
        Its the class system that treats people like crap because of who they were born to or what money they earn.
        I care to much for people not to recognize the lng term solutions.
        Not quick fix murder.

    1. Talking of Norway, I think I’ll get some of that Norwegian salmon sometime soon.

      I’m sure them fish don’t mind the capital punishment they reap for being so juicy bright orange.

      Welcome back, Pallacertus. Just what is it that makes you get out of your hiding place?

  15. Did the Catholic Church REALLY condemns death penalty? ACTUALLY NOT! They’d supported the death penalty before especially at the time of Spanish era in our country:

    http://www.filipiknow.net/facts-about-death-penalty-in-the-philippines/

    http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vatican/esp_vatican29.htm

    And now here’s the question, what happened after that when finally the Catholic Church decided not to support capital punishment in spite that there are still more crimes & corruption that plagued into our country and some parts of the world then & now?

  16. Capital punishment could be one good way of reducing the number of stupid people in the Philippines.

    If you’re too stupid to know the risk of serving as a drug mule to Indonesia or China – you probably deserve to die.

    People who behave and think like the freeloading Filipinos described HERE should not be allowed to populate the earth. It’s like spreading cancer or some deadly disease. Have mercy on the planet.

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