Duterte gets backing for death penalty Bill
Majority of Lower House members give nod
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign to bring back the death penalty for drugrelated crimes has cleared a major hurdle with supporters backing it in Congress but critics denouncing the planned killings as “inhumane”.
The death penalty Bill, along with a proposed measure to punish children as young as nine as adult criminals, are key planks of Mr Duterte’s controversial drug war that has already claimed more than 6,500 lives.
A majority of politicians in the lower House of Congress passed a second reading of the Bill on Wednesday night clearing one of the biggest obstacles in proponents’ plans to make the death penalty legal by May.
A third and final reading still needs to be held next wee although with no more debates both sides agree passage is a formality. Then the Senate, which is similarly dominated by Mr Duterte’s allies, would pass a counterpart Bill.
“We have hurdled the most difficult part,” congressman Reynaldo Umali, a sponsor of the bill, said.
Opponents voiced anger the Philippines would bring back the death penalty, 11 years after it was revoked, highlighting among many concerns a corrupt justice system that would lead to innocent people being executed.
“The decision is inhumane, shameful and blatantly disrespectful,” Father Jerome Secillano, executive secretary for public affairs at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said. of wrongful convictions.”
The Catholic Church, which counts 80 per cent of Filipinos as followers, had led the opposition to abolish the death penalty in 2006.
The bill limits the death penalty to drug-related crimes. Possessing 500 grammes of marijuana, or 10 grammes of cocaine, heroin or ecstasy, would be crimes punishable by execution, as would manufacturing and selling drugs.