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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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MANILA – European Parliament members visited the Philippine Senate to express their opposition to the proposed restoration of death penalty in the country – “indirectly,” according to Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III.
They asked about the status of the death penalty bill, the country’s overall human rights situation, and the possible cooperation between Europe and the Philippines on improving the justice system, Pimentel said.
“[All] European Union member-states do not have death penalty. They are against the death penalty as a matter of principle. That is what they wanted to relay to us,” he said. “But I was already aware of that.”
The Senate president said he has received hundreds of letters and emails from Europe urging him to oppose the capital punishment revival.
In 2006, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo abolished the death penalty when she signed Republic Act 9346.
Will the European Parliament members’ stand affect his? Pimentel said he has yet to delve deeper into the proposal.
“Number one: Will the death penalty deter major crimes? Will it be an effective deterrent against crimes?” he said.
“Number two: If the death penalty is to eliminate the criminal from the face of the earth, isn’t our present system of imprisonment not sufficient in eliminating – though alive – a criminal from society?” he added.
In March, Pimentel said deciding on whether or not to approve the revival of capital punishment will be a “close fight” in the Senate.
“I’m predicting maybe anywhere from 14 versus 10 or 10 versus 14, either way. Depende na iyon kung ma-convince iyong mga open,” he said./PN
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