I am against the possible reimposition of the death penalty in the Philippines. Due to a flawed and error-prone justice system in the country, the revival of the death penalty could lead to wrongful executions of innocent lives. Such is the case of Leo Echegaray who was mistakenly executed in 1999. In 2006, the Supreme Court, headed by then Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, disclosed that it has blundered when its decision caused the life of Echegaray.

Emphasis should be placed on rehabilitation of the convicted rather than the imposition of death penalty for heinous and even other crimes. The country needs alternatives not only to death penalty but also to jail time. An example of which is the war on drugs. The judiciary can punish people for the crimes they committed to get, use, and / or sell illegal drugs but that is not the solution for treating the mental illness or health disorder associated with these offenses.

As a democratic nation, we should continue to struggle for the upholding of each and everyone’s rights to live and enjoy fair justice. Let us not bring back this nation to a medieval, outdated, and barbaric means of providing justice. Death Penalty has long been proven for not being able to deter crimes. Moreover, it doesn’t provide a chance for a convicted to be vindicated in case of mistrial which has sadly been the case in the past.

Execute justice, not people.