Guevarra supports restoration of death penalty

“Ordinary human behavior indicates that the fear of being put to death for the commission of a crime will naturally prompt a criminally minded person to think twice,” Guevarra told reporters on Tuesday, July 22. (TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL FILE PHOTO)

Justice Secretary Menardo Gueverra is one of those who support the reimposition of the death penalty, believing that it “may somehow deter” serious crimes in the country.

“Ordinary human behavior indicates that the fear of being put to death for the commission of a crime will naturally prompt a criminally-minded person to think twice,” Guevarra told reporters on Tuesday, July 22.

He said it is the Congress which will determine what crimes are considered to be heinous.

“The Constitution grants the Congress the authority to impose the death penalty for compelling reasons involving heinous crimes,” he said.

Gueverra’s remarks came a day after President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to Congress to reinstate the death penalty for heinous crimes related to drugs and plunder.

“I am aware that we still have a long way to go in our fight against this social menace. Let the reason why I advocate the imposition of the death penalty for crimes related to illegal drugs,” Duterte said in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

Although he acknowledged the help of local communities in the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign by forming anti-drug councils, the President said the illegal drug problem, which he called as “social monster,” won’t be crushed unless corruption is eliminated.

“It has been three 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.

Ahead of the opening of the 18th Congress, Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Christopher “Bong” Go, Panfilo Lacson, and Manny Pacquiao have filed their separate bills seeking to reinstate the capital punishment in the country.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, however, said the four-member minority bloc is ready to fight “tooth and nail” the revival of the death penalty.

“As I said before, it may appear as an uphill battle, but we are more than prepared to oppose it. We do not agree that death penalty is the solution to our illegal drugs and corruption problems. Death penalty is anti-poor,” he said in a press statement also on Tuesday.

“We have a very weak justice system that is very prone to error. What we need to do is to strengthen our justice system and show the people that our laws are working,” he continued.