With the House of Representatives readying public hearings for death penalty bills, a pro-life lawmaker yesterday said that public support for the restoration of the capital punishment is “weak and shallow.”
Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza admitted that there appears to be favorable climate for death penalty advocates but this can be attributed to Filipinos’ exasperation over the bad performance of the criminal justice system.
Citing result of an online poll conducted by the House of Representatives’ official website, Atienza said the lack of strong support on the death penalty bills by the respondents validates his view on the popularity of the proposal.
Results of the online poll indicated that while restoration of the death penalty is still the choice, only 50 percent of the respondents backed it.
On the other hand, 48 percent respondents rejected the extreme punishment, with two percent undecided.
“Filipinos hunger and thirst for justice, not for blood. And this craving for justice may be satisfied only by profound and comprehensive reforms in law enforcement, prosecution service, the Judiciary, and our prisons,” Atienza said. (Ben R. Rosario)
