MoNDAY;/ MAY 20, 2019
]MWW.INQUIRER.NET.
[0
GHR ready for franlr, factualt
discussions on death penalty
By Patricid Denise M. Chiu
and Dona Z. Pazzibugan
@Team_lnquirer
The Commission on Human
Rights (CHR) on Sunday said itwas
read)t to have a "ftank and tactual '
conversation with Congiess fe-
gading the possible restoration of
death penalty in the country.
In statement Commission-
a For his part, Foreign
er Karen Gomez-Dumpit said
the CHR recognized that crime
should not go unpunished.
However, the rights body
said it was prepared to "present
, the ineffectiveness" of capital
f'punishment, and that the com-
i mission was willing to provide
viable alternatives for cdme
prevention.
"These include police visi-
bility, or increasing police to
lopulation ratios, and commu-
nitjr vigilance. We fully support
Karen Gomez-Dumpit
these initiatives that do not di-
minish our principles to uphold
the right to life," Dumpit said.
In the same statement, she
also reminded the Duterte ad-
ministration that the Philip-
pines had a legal obligation to
respect the right to life, since
the country was a state party to
the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights and
,, PAq*-Ab.'
the SFaond Optional Protocol must plunge the needle himself
aimed at the abolition of the in his own rlame and blame," he
' deathpenalty. tweeted on Sunday.
"As a state party to thesetlu- "l will not besmirch myself
man rights treaties, we have with what's worse than EJK (ex:
. perpetually committed not to trajudicial killing): iudicial
irnpose nor reintroduce capial killing"" he added.
punishment"'Dumpitsaid'
'Plunge the needle' """:"1xtrhT*"*LTl::il5:
ish the death penalty in 2006 dur-
Secretary ing the administration of former
Teodoro Locsin Jr. dared those President and now House Speaker
who wanted to restore ttrc deathldloriia Macapagal-Arroyo.
penalty to personally "plunge the When he ran in 2016, Mr.
rieedle" on the convict and accept Duterte had vowed to restofe ttle
the blame if they find tlat they death penalty for drug trAffickers.
had killed an innocent person. Senate President Vicente Sot-
While he wants President to lll recendy said restoring the
Duterte to intensify against the death penalty now stood a better
"war on drugs," Locsin said "the chance ofpassing after several ad-
death penalty kills the wrong minishation senatorial candi-
people." dates won, includingformer pres-
"ln [the] death chamber we idential aide Chdstopher "Bong':
the people are the killers. Any- Go and former national police
one wants the death penalty chiefRonald dela Rosa- tNe