Bishops: Humans have no right to kill others

Catholic bishops have urged President Duterte to reconsider his threat to execute at least five death row convicts a day once capital punishment is restored in the Philippines.

Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez on Monday said humans have no right to kill and criminals should be rehabilitated, not executed.

Gutierrez issued the statement in reaction to Mr. Duterte’s threat to execute “five or six” death row convicts daily upon the restoration of death penalty, which he has been pushing for since the start of the campaign period.

Former Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said he was saddened by the President’s statement, more so since it was made during the Christmas season.

“Here comes someone who keeps on talking about death, about killing others, about others killing him, about him being killed… Honestly, this is very sad,” he said.

“I think it’s about time that extrajudicial killings be already out of our mind, out of our news, and out of our neighborhood. Please,” Cruz said.

Capital punishment was scrapped in 1987 during the administration of President Corazon Aquino. It was reimposed in 1993 under then President Fidel Ramos, but abolished anew in 2006 during the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Earlier this month, the bill seeking to reimpose the death penalty was approved at committee level in the House of Representatives.—JULIE M. AURELIO