Bongbong Marcos believes death penalty not effective in curbing crime rate

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. believes the death penalty is not effective in curbing crime rate.

In his “The Chatroom” taped interview with broadcaster Erwin Tulfo and Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar aired on Saturday, Marcos said two factors should be considered in imposing the death penalty: First, if the state have the moral authority to take a life, and second, if the death penalty is effective in decreasing the number of heinous crimes.

The first factor, he said, is a “very, very big question that nobody has really been able to answer completely.”

“On the question on whether or not it is effective in lowering the crime rate, the heinous crimes, I think the numbers are clear. It’s not. The death penalty does not… Alam mo kung papatay ka ng tao, sasabihin mo, ‘ay naku may death penalty hindi ko na papatayin ito.’ Hindi nangyayari ‘yun eh,” said Marcos.

(You know, if you will kill a person and say “oh no, there is death penalty so I will not kill this guy.” It does not happen.)

“’Yung mga heinous crime gagawin at gagawin ng mga kriminal ‘yun eh, kaya I am not sure if the death penalty is an effective way of discouraging the commission of [crime],” he added.

(Criminals will continue to commit heinous crime, that’s why I am not sure if death penalty is an effective way of discouraging the commission of crime.)

For Marcos, law enforcement is “much more important” than punishment in addressing the problem of criminality.

Asked if he will just leave the decision on the death penalty to the Congress, Marcos said: “Yes, because it is legislation that will carry it.”

“We have to understand for ourselves what is the basis of what we are doing. Is it because of the moral issue? Let’s say sasabihin, ‘we think that the state has to right to take a life, then we should have the death penalty. Kasi talagang hopeless na ‘yung iba. Talagang you cannot rehabilitate naman ‘yung mga, then they [should] just be removed from the society,’” said Marcos.

(We have to understand for ourselves the basis of what we are doing. Is it because of the moral issue? Let’s say other people will say, “we think that the state has the right to take a life, then we should have death penalty. Other people are just hopeless. You cannot rehabilitate them, so you just remove them from society.”)

“On the other hand, if you are trying to discourage criminality, I think history has shown not only in the Philippines but around the world that the death penalty does not really help reduce [crimes],” he added.

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