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U.S. | I'm a Death Row Pastor. They're Just Ordinary Folks

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In the early 1970s I was a North Carolinian, white boy from the South attending Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and working in East Harlem as part of a program. In my senior year, I visited men at the Bronx House of Detention. I had never been in a prison or jail, but people in East Harlem were dealing with these places and the police all the time. This experience truly turned my life around.

Philippines | Solon renews call for revival of death penalty after China's execution of 2 Pinoys

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The chairperson of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs is urging Congress anew to consider the reimposition of the death penalty, especially for drug-related offenses, after China executed 2 Filipinos for drug trafficking.

2 Filipinos convicted of drug trafficking in China were executed in November, 10 years after their arrest, the Department of Foreign Affairs disclosed on Dec. 2.

In a statement on Monday, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said that the country is extending "kid's gloves treatment if not VIP treatment" to foreigners, especially Chinese nationals, arrested and convicted for drug trafficking in the Philippines.

"While we condemn in no uncertain terms any and all illegal drug activities, we urge the 2 houses of Congress to take a serious look at the reimposition of the death penalty most especially on drug-related offenses," he said.

"If other countries treat illegal drugs as a threat to their citizenry and the whole society, why are we so soft in treating this menace in our own territory?" he added.

Barbers claimed deterring foreign suppliers of the illegal drug trade in the country would send a "strong signal that our people are not guinea pigs of their drugs."

Based on official data, there are 92 Filipino death penalty cases in China in which all but 1 are drug-related.

Of the total count, 2 cases have been reduced to life imprisonment, while 86 have been commuted to fixed term. This means two remain pending and are being appealed.

House Bill 1543, which Barbers refiled in the current Congress to revive the death penalty on certain heinous crimes, especially on drug-related offenses, is pending at the chamber's justice panel.

Source: CNN Philippines, Staff, December 4, 2023

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Location: Philippines
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