DFA tasks legal office to review existing treaties on death penalty

FILE: Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano (Photo: KING RODRIGUEZ/Presidential Photo)

MANILA — Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday said he already tasked the agency’s legal office to craft a comprehensive policy paper about the country’s existing international agreements signed relating to the death penalty.

“We already have the initial finding but I was still in the Senate as committee chair then but since the president instructed last week to review this, we tasked our legal and other offices under the DFA to come up with a comprehensive policy paper on this then we will submit it to Malacanang,” he told reporters in a press conference in Las Pinas.

On the international side, Cayetano said, the chief executive has asked what are the country’s international obligations on the possible revival of capital punishment.

“Kumbaga sa kasal nandiyan ‘yung pari, ang tinatanong nagkapirmahan ba o nag-yes I do na ba tayong dalawa? Kung ‘di nag I do, walang kasal, kung nag I do, puwede mag-divorce or puwede bang annulment?” he said in a separate press briefing.

“Iyon ang tinatanong ng Palasyo sa DFA sa international side,” he noted. “But the Department of Justice will have to weigh in also.”

He said the findings of the DFA alone is not conclusive, nevertheless, “it will be used when we discuss with other international partners and friend.”

Cayetano said a country is bound by an international obligation if it signed and ratified a treaty.

Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a United Nations document the Philippines is signatory to, Cayetano said what is stated was “you cannot take life arbitrarily.”

“Meaning hindi totoo na sa Universal Declaration of Human Rights, bawal ang death penalty, bawal pumatay naarbitrarily or in other words, bawal ang murder, pero kung nagkaroon ng trial, nasunod lahat ng proseso saUniversal Declaration of Human Rights puwede, pero ‘yung certain countries and certain political parties, European Union is known for this, is anti-death penalty so mayroon silang mga protocol, mga treaty na pinapapirmahan,” he explained. “So, pumirma tayo doon but we haven’t ratified it.”