Our reason against imposition of death penalty

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord – Job 1,21

We stand against the imposition of Death Penalty. Why? First and foremost, life is a precious gift from God. No one has the right to take it away except Him alone. Who are we before God to take matters into our hands? God’s command is clear to all “thou shall not kill” (Exodus 20,13). Let us also remember, “the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1,21). God is the author of life. We owe our life to Him.

Second, the poor and the underprivileged will be more inclined to be victims of wrongful convictions and accusations. How can we be sure that all will be fair and equal before our Law? The impoverished can never afford the best lawyers. Reform first our Justice system. Eradicate selective and corrupt justice. Be sure that no one is above the law and make certain that there is no sacred cow.

Third, how can we plea for clemency to a foreign country for our co-national if our very own country practice and adapt death penalty? With the imposition of the death penalty, we lose our moral authority and credibility to beg for leniency and save the lives of our OFWs languishing in prisons.

Lastly, death penalty does not deter crime. There is not a slightest conclusive statistical evidence that capital punishment reduces the rate of homicide.

Yes, justice should be served. There should be a penalty for their crimes. Let it then be a reclusion perpetua. Sequester all the properties of the perpetrators until the last centavo and use them for the reparations of injuries and damages of the victims, including their rehabilitation.

Many are strongly against the imposition of Death Penalty, and we are too. Even the President remarked on his appeal for new death penalty, “I don’t hear much clapping, so it means you’re not interested.”

Therefore, let the issue of death penalty remain dead.

+Ruperto Cruz Santos, DD
Bishop of Balanga and International Catholic Migration Commission-
Asia Working Group coordinator

A version of this article was first published on CBCP News.