'Alabang Boys' case triggers calls for death penalty revival

The death penalty law was passed in 1992 but was abolished 14 years later in 2006 by President Gloria Macapagal right before she flew to the Vatican City to have an audience with the Pope. But calls for the revival of the penalty were triggered after the bloody Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC) robbery-slay in May 2008, where nine bank employees and one security guard were shot dead. Zubiri said it was alarming why people accused of engaging in the illegal drug trade are even allowed to be released from detention when the offense itself is non-bailable to begin with. “Illegal drug trade is a non-bailable offense and yet some DOJ prosecutors have ordered the release of drug suspects, just like the case of the Alabang Boys. This is alarming," Zubiri said in Filipino. For his part, House dangerous drugs committee chair and Ilocos Norte Rep. Roque Ablan Jr said he supports the revival of the death penalty for convicted drug traffickers as he himself has a bill pending in the House of Representatives seeking such. In a phone interview with GMANews.TV, Ablan said drug syndicates from countries such as China, Thailand, and Malaysia bring drugs into the Philippines because of the absence of a death penalty. "Lahat ng mga drug (groups) are either Chinese, from Thailand, Malaysia Hong-Kong. These are countries with death penalties and they come here because they know that without any death penalty maski na ma-raid lugar (walang) death penalty)," Ablan said. Ablan, an eight-time congressman, said drug cases in the country decreased when convicted drug dealer Lim Seng was executed shortly after Martial Law was imposed by the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. "Mula nang namatay si Lim Seng nawala, hanggang marami na naman ang gumagawa ng drugs sa ating bayan (Since Lim Seng was executed drug cases decreased, until it increased again here). The only reason why they're doing it here because we don't have any death penalty," said Ablan, whose committee is conducting an inquiry into the Alabang Boys controversy. But another senior lawmaker, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, said "sensational" crimes like the case of the Alabang Boys do not justify the revival of the death penalty. "Sensational and sensationalized crimes do not warrant retrieving from the legislative archives a penal statute which is cruel and inhuman," Lagman said in a statement. Lagman said one of the main reasons for the abolition of the death penalty in 2006 was the lack of empirical evidence showing that it effectively deters criminality. The five-term lawmaker added that police officers, investigators, prosecutors and judges must do their work regardless of the imposable penalties. - GMANews.TV