Death Penalty

Dear Me,

Her Excellency recently signed into law a bill abolishing the death penalty in the country. RA 9346 or the Act Prohibiting the Imposition of Death Penalty in the Philippines, was signed last Saturday. This law is meant to commute death sentences down to reclusion perpetua or life sentences.

With the implementation of the death penalty law abolished, does this mean that criminals will once again roam free and wreak fear amongst us? Does this also mean that these criminals, in one way or another, be able to bend the rules of law and have court verdicts lean in their favor? Not that I don't believe in the power of our justice system, I do. But it's more like how these hard-core criminals, spoiled rich brats are able to get away with the law.

I used to remember how in favor I was when the death penalty was proposed. Who could blame me? During that time, heinous crimes plagued the streets everywhere (even the remotest barangay). Committing such inhumane acts had made everyone, every family paranoid of their surroundings. Cold shivers, cold death.

But then, I came to realize the innocents who were charged of these crimes. I realized how hard & painful for a family to have one of them be sent to the wolves and later on, to die for something they never commit. As hard it is to admit, our justice system is far from perfect. Ours is slow and there is tendency for some of our magistrates to bend the law, from the right to the wrong one. It's an opinion and not an outright accusation.

Legally speaking, in this country, it is every human being's right to live. It's in the law, in our Bill of Rights. How can we say that we uphold human rights when we have this death penalty law? Once again, one law contradicts another.

I also realize that no one has the power to take one's life other than the omnipotent being above. Why take away a criminal's life just to repay an innocent's life he took? Is it really the answer to have justice served? Be it an innocent or not, only God has the right to take away the life He has given to anyone. I'm not preaching here, just stating something which I believe in.

So, I think that I am now one of the people who believe that life is to be celebrated, not to be taketh away.