Death Penalty News

Senator Manny Pacquiao says judicial reforms need to happen first. He wants a jury system in the Philippines. MANILA, Philippines – Presidential aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao took a step back from being a staunch supporter of the revival of the death penalty. In an interview on Thursday, January 27, Pacquiao told radio station DZBB that he really supports bringing back capital punishment but he said a lot of work needs to be done. “Talagang boto ako sa death penalty, pero dito sa sitwasyon ng bansa natin ngayon, ‘wag na muna,” said Pacquiao. (I am really in favor of the death penalty, but in the current situation of our country, maybe not now.) Pacquiao said that judicial reform needs to happen first, as he alleged that some judges are also corrupt. “Maraming masisintensiyahan na walang mga kasalanan. Kawawa naman sila,” said Pacquiao. (A lot of people might be sentenced to death even if they are innocent. It would be a pity.) But how long will it take for reform to happen? The senat...

Manila (AFP) – Philippines presidential hopeful Manny Pacquiao says he was "naive" and ignorant of the law when he took crystal meth in his youth, but argues offenders today know drugs are illegal and should be punished. Pacquiao, a retired world champion boxer, has been a high-profile backer of President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs that has killed thousands of people. But in the lead up to the 2022 elections, Pacquiao has sought to distance himself from the outgoing Duterte, who is facing an international probe into his bloody crackdown, and now says offenders should have a "chance to defend themselves". "We have to put in jail those who are using drugs, selling drugs -- that's what the law says," he told AFP, vowing to continue the anti-narcotics campaign "in the right way". "Before, I'm naive, that's why I use drugs... I don't know the law," said Pacquiao, 42, who currently holds a seat in the Senate an...

MANILA, Philippines — Saying the country’s judicial system should first be fixed, presidential aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao has  changed his tone on the revival of the death penalty, but his stand against same-sex marriage remains the same. “About the death penalty, before, I filed a bill in the Senate. But right now, I’m just holding it. I’m not pushing right now because of the situation of this country,” Pacquiao said in an interview with Vice News Asia Monday. “I don’t want… innocent people [to] be punished by death. So we want to fix first our judicial system in this country and arrange everything and make sure that the government is performing their duty,” he added. Earlier, Pacquiao, a born-again Christian, has pushed for the revival of capital punishment for heinous crimes involving the manufacturing and trafficking of illegal drugs. Same-sex marriage Despite a changed stance on death penalty, Pacquiao remains firm on his stand on same-sex marriage. “Being a Christian, I’...

The sportsman-turned-politician has retired from boxing to focus on his presidential bid – but will he be punching above his weight? He is one of the greatest boxers of all time, but Manny Pacquiao faces his biggest battle yet as he fights to be president of the Philippines. The 42-year-old is already a controversial political figure thanks to his anti-LGBT remarks and support of the death penalty. Some also have doubts about his competency to lead the country, and have speculated that his retirement from boxing is largely down to a need to mend his poor political reputation. The boxing star has been a senator in the Philippines since 2016 and announced his retirement from his sport on 29 September after 26 years. “I just heard the final bell. Boxing is over,” he said. “I never thought this day would come.” Jean Encinas-Franco, associate professor of political science at the University of the Philippines Diliman, told i that Pacquiao is regarded an “absentee legislator” because he was ...

Pacquiao was among the staunchest allies of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, backing the leader's bid to reintroduce the death penalty. Boxing star Manny Pacquiao, who is planning to run for president in the 2022 Philippine elections, said on Wednesday he was retiring from boxing to focus on the biggest fight in his political career. Pacquiao, a Philippine senator who has been dividing his time between politics and fighting, made the announcement in a 14-minute video posted on his official Facebook page. "I just heard the final bell. Boxing is over," said an emotional Pacquiao, the only man to hold world titles in eight different divisions. "I never thought this day would come as a I hang up my boxing gloves," said Pacquiao, as he thanked his fans all over the world. Known for his fast footwork and blistering speed of punches, Pacquiao was widely regarded as one of the top offensive fighters in the sport's history. Veteran promoter Bob Arum in 2010 sai...

Once a loyal ally to Duterte, defending the president’s deadly drug war and death penalty push, senator Pacquiao presents a potential obstacle to President Rodrigo Duterte’s succession plans as the race for the top post takes shape. Boxing star Manny Pacquiao says he will run for president of the Philippines next year after railing against corruption in government and what he calls President Rodrigo Duterte’s cosy relationship with China. Pacquiao, currently a senator, was nominated on Sunday by his PDP-Laban party allies during the group’s national assembly, days after a rival faction nominated Duterte as its choice for vice president and his longtime aide, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, as the party’s presidential candidate. Pacquiao, 42, presents a potential obstacle to Duterte’s succession plans as the race for the top post takes shape. “I’m a fighter and will always be a fighter, inside and outside of the ring,” Pacquiao said at the event. “All my life, I haven’t backed down from ...

I will be getting up early on Sunday to join millions of my countrymen and women in watching our national obsession: boxing. Specifically, would-be president Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao's last fight as he returns to the ring after a two-year absence to reclaim his world super welterweight crown. But the reason for my excitement has nothing to do with boxing, and everything to do with politics. No less than the fate of the 2022 presidential election -- if not the country's besieged democracy -- could very well depend on the outcome of this highly anticipated showdown. Should Pacquiao, 42, who was elected to the Philippine Senate in 2016, decisively defeat Yordenis Ugas and win back what was once his, he will likely decide to run for president, putting him on a collision course with outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte. Constitutionally barred from running again, Duterte is eying a run for vice president with his daughter Sara at the top of the ticket. If Duterte's dynast...

MANILA (Reuters) — Philippine senator and boxing star Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao was voted out as leader of the country's ruling party on Saturday, weeks after challenging President Rodrigo Duterte over his position on China and record on fighting corruption. Pacquiao, 42, who is seen as a possible contender to succeed Duterte in next year's presidential election, had long been among the president's strongest supporters, backing his bloody war on drugs and bid to reintroduce the death penalty. But ties between them soured last month after Pacquiao railed at what he called Duterte's soft stance on Beijing's aggressiveness in the South China Sea, and said he was probing graft in the government. A faction of the ruling party led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, a close ally of Duterte, called the vote at a National Assembly meeting on Saturday. Cusi was elected party president. The vote was carried out because existing officials were already past their two-ye...

MANILA – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) insisted Wednesday that reviving the death penalty "would not genuinely address" rape and other cases of sexual violence, amid calls for its reimposition after the controversial death of flight attendant Christine Dacera.  In the afternoon of January 1, Dacera was found unconscious in a bathtub inside a Makati City hotel she and her friends rented for a New Year party. After failed attempts to resuscitate her, she was brought to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead-on-arrival. The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the camp of Dacera claimed the victim was sexually abused and slain, but the accusations are being disputed by her companions, with some self-identifying as gays.  Sen. Manny Pacquiao, for long pushing for the revival of capital punishment, earlier said Dacera's case was another example of why the death penalty should be reinstated in the Philippines. "Ayoko sa lahat papatayin na, gagahasain pa kaya isi...

“The death penalty should be implemented by firing squad as proposed by Pacquaio,” said lawyer Jose Malvar Villegas Jr., founder and chairman of the Katipunan Kontra Krimen at Korapsyon (KKK), during a forum in Pasig City. MANILA, Philippines — An anti-crime and corruption group supported yesterday Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s proposal to restore the death penalty. “The death penalty should be implemented by firing squad as proposed by Pacquaio,” said lawyer Jose Malvar Villegas Jr., founder and chairman of the Katipunan Kontra Krimen at Korapsyon (KKK), during a forum in Pasig City. Malvar said large-scale online investment scams and economic sabotage should be considered heinous crimes. Thousands of Filipino investors are being victimized online because of the absence of a “tough law that will protect them,” KKK director general Melchor Chavez said. The group has asked Senators Bong Go, Ronald dela Rosa and Pacquiao as well as House Pro Tempore Luis Raymond Villafuert...