ANY move to revive the death penalty must undergo careful and comprehensive study, a Malacañang official said on Wednesday.
In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has not yet taken a position on the issue, amid calls to impose capital punishment on corrupt politicians and public officials.
Castro said the return of capital punishment should not be rushed, underscoring the importance of ensuring that the five pillars of the justice system are working effectively and fairly.
“Dapat aralin ito dahil hindi lamang ito bigla-biglang sinasabi na dapat nandiyan na ang death penalty. Inaaral mabuti dahil dapat malinis, mabuti, maging maayos itong tinatawag nating five pillars of justice system,” she said.
The Palace official also warned against the risk of wrongful convictions in a flawed system, citing past instances where individuals admitted to planting evidence or fabricating accusations.
“Hindi tayo puwede na umaasa at maimpluwensiyahan. Dapat mawala sa impluwensiya ng mga Pilipino ‘yung mga nakaraang pangyayari kung saan may nag-admit na sila ay sanay gumawa ng intriga at magplanta ng ebidensiya,” Castro said.
“Paano kung ang inosente ay nagawan ng intriga at naplantahan ng ebidensiya? Death penalty ang maaaring ipataw. Kawawa naman po ‘yung masasabi nating inosente,” she added.
The Philippines abolished the death penalty in 1987, becoming the first country in Asia to eliminate capital punishment for all crimes in modern times.
It was reinstated in 1993 through Republic Act 7659 under then President Fidel Ramos, in response to rising crime rates. The law reimposed the death penalty for heinous crimes, initially through the electric chair. In 1996, Republic Act 8177 was enacted, designating lethal injection as the method of execution.
A moratorium on the death penalty was declared in 2000 by then President Joseph Estrada. His successor, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, maintained the moratorium and ultimately signed Republic Act 9346 in 2006, which once again repealed the death penalty.
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