Death Penalty News

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III rejected on Wednesday the proposal to impose death penalty either by firing squad or hanging for being unconstitutional. Two proponents of the proposed reimposition of the death penalty —neophyte Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Senator Manny Pacquiao— have openly pushed for firing squad if the measure is enacted into law. For high – level drug trafficking, Pacquiao said the death penalty should be imposed by firing squad and lethal injection for plunderers. Sotto, Dela Rosa and Pacquiao are among the senators, who have filed a death penalty measure. “Hindi pwede, unconstitutional lahat yun,” he said in an interview over DZBB on Wednesday. “Sapagkat nakalagay sa Constitution, hindi pwede ang hindi humane penalty. Hindi humane lahat yun. It does not fall under the category of humane.” The only humane penalty, which he said had already been brought before the Supreme Court, is to impose death by lethal injection. ...

MANILA -- While expressing his full support to the reinstatement of death penalty, which is included in the legislative agenda laid out by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde on Thursday said he prefers lethal injection for illegal drug traffickers. Albayalde’s preference is different from that of retired PNP chief and Senator-elect Ronald dela Rosa, who is also pushing for the reinstatement of death penalty for drug traffickers. Albayalde said death penalty should be meted on criminals involved in terrorism, big time drug trafficking and other heinous crimes related to the use of illegal drugs, such as the rape of minors. "That depends on what the law will say. We are civilized people here so probably lethal injection would suffice," he said in a TV interview. He clarified that terrorists who will be found guilty of being directly involved in bloody attac...

Evangelical Senator Manny Pacquiao believes that the reimposition of capital punishment will serve as a lesson to drug traffickers. On his first day back to work, Pacquiao said that he wants them to be executed by a firing squad, if the proposed death penalty bill is passed. He is one of the 4 senators who introduced the measure in the 18th Congress. "Kung droga, siguro firing squad para 'wag tularan. (If it's drugs, maybe [execution] by firing squad so it won't be done anymore)," Pacquiao told reporters. President Rodrigo Duterte once again pushed for the passage of the death penalty bill in the 18th Congress during his 4th State of the Nation Address. But this time, he wanted plunder to be part of the crimes covered by the proposed measure. While Pacquiao only proposed high-level drug trafficking as part of the crimes punishable, he said that he supports the wish of the President. For plunder convicts, he said he prefers either firing squad or...

President Duterte renewed his appeal to Congress to restore the death penalty to curb illegal drugs and corruption in government—2 things that his administration has been fighting since the start of his term. In his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA), Duterte expressed disappointment that 3 years have passed by and illegal drugs and corruption remain to be the country’s problems. “It has been 3 years since I took my oath of office and it pains me to say that we have not learned our lesson. The illegal drug problem persists, corruption continues and emasculates the courage we need to sustain our moral recovery initiatives,” he said. According to the President, the Marawi siege, which he said was funded by drug money, is one of the reasons why he is advocating for the re-imposition of capital punishment. “During that Marawi siege, tons of shabu worth millions and millions of pesos, drug money killed 175 and wounded 2,001 of my soldiers and policemen in that 5-month...