death penalty

Sen. Bam to anti-death penalty advocates: Convince pro-death penalty Filipinos to change view

Sen. Bam Aquino challenged anti-death penalty advocates to work hard in persuading 60 percent of pro-death penalty Filipinos that its revival will not solve the country’s pressing problems and will only lead to injustice to the poor.

 “Challenge po ito sa ating lahat. We have a lot of work to do para makumbinse ang 60 percent ng ating kababayan na mali ang death penalty,” said Sen. Bam during the “Lakbay Buhay Laban sa Death Penalty” program at the University of Sto. Tomas.

 Sen. Bam was referring to the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, showing that 60 percent of Filipinos support the government’s move to revive the death penalty as deterrent to crime.

However, Sen. Bam contradicted this view, saying in the end, only the poor will suffer from injustice due to lack of capability to defend themselves in court.

 With the death penalty yet to hurdle the committee level in the Senate, Sen. Bam said there is enough time for those against it to conduct more marches and activities to educate Filipinos about the truth on the capital punishment.

“Mahaba-haba pa po ito. Kailangan handa tayo hindi lang sa isang martsa kundi sa marami pang martsa. Kailangang handa tayong kausapin ang ating mahal sa buhay at ipaliwanag sa kanila kung bakit tayo naninindigan sa isyung ito,” said Sen. Bam.

 “Hindi po sapat na kumbinsihin lang natin ang ating mga mambabatas. Kailangan ang taumbayan ang kumbinsihin natin,” he added.

 The Lakbay Buhay is a 21-day cross-country march led by anti-death penalty advocates to educate communities on why the revival of the death penalty must be stopped. The tour started May 4 in Cagayan de Oro and it will end May 24 at the Senate where they will call on senators to prevent the restoration of death penalty.

Sen. Bam is a staunch advocate against death penalty in the Senate. He has committed to vote against its reimposition, together with other senators.

 “Kapag tayo’y sabay-sabay na gumagalaw, sa ilalim ng pagmamahal sa bayan at sa Diyos, tiwala akong makakamit natin ang sapat na numero sa Senado upang hindi maibalik ang death penalty,” said Sen. Bam.

Bam on death penalty: Di pa tapos ang laban

Hindi pa tapos ang laban!

A senator commended the 54 lawmakers who voted against the revival of the death penalty even as he assured that the proposal will go through the proverbial eye of the needle in the Senate.

“Kahanga-hanga ang kanilang katapangan at matibay na paninindigan laban sa death penalty,” said Sen. Bam Aquino, the deputy minority leader.

 “Nabigo man sila, hindi pa tapos ang laban dahil inaasahan nating dadaan ang panukala sa butas ng karayom sa Senado,” the senator said.

The proposal to restore death penalty hurdled the House on third and final reading Tuesday after getting 217 affirmative votes from lawmakers.

Earlier, Sen. Bam urged the Senate to allow the proper legislative process to run its course on the proposal.

 “Kailangang dumaan sa tamang debate at tamang proseso ang panukala at dapat mapakinggan ang lahat ng panig sa isyu,” the senator said, adding that the new minority will actively participate in the discussion.

 With just six members, Sen. Bam said the minority vote is not sufficient but he expressed confidence that fellow senators will cross party lines and follow the dictate of their conscience on the matter.

 “The minority votes clearly aren’t enough but I’m hoping there will be enough senators to vote this measure down. This should be a conscience vote and not done because of political affiliations,” Sen. Bam stressed.

 

Bam: No rush, no secret votes on death penalty proposal

No railroading, no secret votes.

Sen. Bam Aquino said the Senate must allow the proper legislative process to run its course on the proposal to restore the death penalty.

 “We will not allow it to be rushed. We must ensure that proper debate on the matter be conducted,” said Sen. Bam, the newly designated deputy minority leader.

 In addition, Sen. Bam said senators must reveal their respective votes on the proposal to ensure accountability and transparency.

 “We will not allow votes to be anonymous or hidden and we will ensure accountability among our colleagues,” said Sen. Bam.

  “Bilang mga kinatawan ng mamamayan, dapat panindigan ng bawat senador ang kanilang magiging boto at kung kailangan ipaliwanag ang kanilang posisyon sa taumbayan,” he added.

 Through this, Sen. Bam said the Senate will show that it can still be an independent institution even with the heightened political strife in the country.

The House drew flak after it approved the death penalty on second reading via viva voce vote, or through loud voices.

 Earlier, Sen. Bam declared that the new minority will actively participate in debates once the proposal reaches the Senate floor.

 “Buhay po ang nakasasalalay dito kaya mahalaga na dumaan sa tamang proseso. Sa tingin po namin, dehado na naman ang mga kababayan nating mahihirap sa death penalty kaya tutol po kami rito,” the senator said.

 “I am still hopeful that my fellow senators will not vote across partisan lines and vote with their conscience on this matter. In the end, we may even be enough to take a stand,” he added.

Expect serious debate on death penalty — Bam

The proposal to revive death penalty will be seriously debated once it reaches the Senate plenary, Sen. Bam Aquino assured.

 “The minority will play an active role in the debates and we will make sure that counter perspectives are given a space in the Senate,” said Sen. Bam, who was recently elected deputy minority leader.

 “Filipino lives are at stake here at karamihan pa sa mga ito’y puro mahihirap na Pilipino na kadalasa’y dehado pagdating sa hukuman at sa mata na batas,” he added.

The Committee on Justice recently started hearing proposals to restore the death penalty.

However, the public hearing was indefinitely suspended amid worries that the country might violate the Treaty of International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) it signed in 1986.

 The treaty prevents states from carrying out execution as a form of punishment.

During that hearing, Sen. Bam urged fellow lawmakers to confer with foreign affairs officials regarding international treaties in connection with death penalty reinstatement.

The senator also wants economic managers to speak about the impact of death penalty on jobs and trade agreements entered into by the government in the past.

 “This move will also affect some of the treaties, conventions, and agreements we’ve already signed up to,” Sen. Bam said.

“Napakabigat ng isyung ito. Hindi dapat madaliin ang debate, lalo na’t makikinig ang publiko sa mga argumento sa Senado,” he added.

Bam on death penalty: Sobra na ang patayan, huwag nang dagdagan pa!

Sobra na ang patayan, huwag nang dagdagan pa!

 Sen. Bam Aquino made this pronouncement as he objected to the restoration of the death penalty amid the unabated and unsolved extrajudicial killings in the country.

During the hearing of the Committee on Justice, Sen. Bam requested concerned government agencies to submit statistics and pertinent data to determine if the justice system and proposed death penalty is biased against the poor.

 “Mga Pilipino ba na naghihirap at desperado sa buhay ang nabibilanggo? Let’s look at the numbers and determine whether our justice system is anti-poor,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam urged the committee to invite a representative from the Supreme Court to clarify unconfirmed reports that 71 percent of death penalty cases reviewed by the High Court were determined to be wrong.

 The senator also wants economic managers and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to speak about the impact of death penalty on jobs and trade agreements entered into by the government in the past.

 “This move will also affect some of the treaties, conventions, and agreements we’ve already signed up to,” he added.

 Instead of restoring the death penalty, Sen. Bam stressed the need to strengthen the country’s justice system.

“In the same way the PNP is now conducting an internal cleansing as they undertake the war on drugs, our justice system must also undergo reforms to ensure that no innocent Filipino is convicted and that there is true justice for the poor,” said Sen. Bam.

Bam: Strengthen justice system instead of death penalty

Instead of reviving the death penalty, shouldn’t we fix and strengthen the country’s justice system? This question was posed by Sen. Bam Aquino.

“Alam naman natin na may problema ang ating justice system at dehado dito ang mga mahihirap,” said Sen. Bam during a media interview in Naga City.

“Hindi ba dapat prioridad na ayusin ang ating sistemang panghustisya imbis na bigyan ng kapangyarihang magpataw ng death penalty,” he added.

Most of the time, Sen. Bam said poor people emerge as casualties of the weak justice system because they cannot afford the services of a lawyer who can defend them in court.

“Dahil sa kawalan ng kakayahang kumuha ng abogado, ang mga kababayan nating mahihirap ang nagiging biktima ng mahinang sistema ng hustisya sa bansa. Pero kung drug dealer ka gaya ni Espinosa, naka-life imprisonment ka, pero makakalabas dahil sa technicality,” Sen. Bam stressed.

With the gravity of the issue, Sen. Bam assured the public that the Senate will look into the death penalty proposal with due diligence.

“Buhay ang nakataya rito kaya hindi ito puwedeng madaliin. Kailangan talaga itong pag-usapan at pagdebatihan ang mga mahahalagang isyu rito,” said Sen. Bam.

“Isa ito sa mga bagay-bagay na dapat iniiwan na lang sa konsiyensiya ng bawat senador o bawat mambabatas. Hindi ho basta-basta ang pagbabalik ho ng death penalty sa ating bansa,” he added.

The lawmaker also wants to give the public – where for or against death penalty — a chance to speak on the matter, whether in schools, church and other venues.

“Kailangan nating makuha ang pulso at pananaw ng taumbayan ukol dito para magabayan tayo sa ating mga susunod na hakbang,” Sen. Bam pointed out.

Bam on bills lowering age of criminal liability and revival of death penalty

Kapag hinayaan nating makalusot ang dalawang panukalang ito, pati mga batang siyam na taong gulang ay kandidato na rin sa bitay.  Ito ba ang Pilipinas na ating ninanais?

 Excerpts from Sen. Bam’s television interview re: two bills

 To give full criminal liability to nine years old, masyadong marahas po iyon at baka hindi rin po iyon akma sa development ng isang tao. 

If you put the two bills that Davao del Norte First District Representative Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez  filed together, iyong pagbalik ng death penalty tsaka pagbaba ng age to nine years old, mayroon tayong sitwasyon na baka nine years old, binibigyan mo ng life imprisonment o binibigyan mo ng death penalty.

 I don’t know kung na-realize iyan ng mga proponents ng batas na ito but there could be a case, ginawang courier ng isang drug lord o drug pusher ang isang bata tapos nahuli.

 Ang batang iyan can actually get life imprisonment or death penalty. Handa ba ang Pilipinas na pumatay ng nine years old na nasangkot sa ganoong klaseng pangyayari?  I don’t think that’s what we want to do, na pumatay tayo ng mga bata.

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