House quad committee proposes revival of death penalty

MANILA, Philippines — The quad committee at the House of Representatives proposed the revival of the death penalty for heinous crimes that would stem from its ongoing investigation.

The panel, composed of the committees on Dangerous Drugs, Public Accounts, Human Rights, and Public Order and Safety, is looking at the links between the illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), the proliferation of the illicit drug trade, land grabbing by certain Chinese, and the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) associated with the war on drugs of the previous administration.

In his opening statement on the joint committee's seventh hearing on Friday, Lead Chairman and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said that the death penalty must be brought back to deter heinous crimes, which include drug trafficking and EJKs.

«Naging urong-sulong po tayo sa usaping death penalty noong mga nakalipas na panahon. Tingnan nyo ang nangyari. [Lalo pong lumala] ang naging lagay ng ating kapayapaan at kaayusan. Hindi na takot ang mga kriminal. Lantaran ang ginawang pamamaslang na ngayon ay tinawag nating extrajudicial killing (We dilly-dallied on the discussion on death penalty, and now the peace and order problem has gotten worse, with criminals undeterred from committing crimes, and have become more brazen in committing extrajudicial killing),» Barbers said.

Other proposals that are being considered include amending the cybercrime law to address the issues of online gambling, hacking and investment scams, as well as introducing amendments to the anti-money laundering, revised corporation code, local government code, and birth registration laws.