‘Bloodshed’ not needed to show love for country – Poe

The nation will mark on Dec. 30, 2016, the 120th death anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal, who died by firing squad at the Luneta in 1896.

There is no need for “bloodshed” to show one’s love for country, Senator Grace Poe said on Thursday amid the government’s bloody war on drugs.

This was Poe’s message on the commemoration of the death of Jose Rizal, who was executed by firing squad at the Luneta on Dec. 30, 1896.

READ: Rizal did not get his dying wish–to have simple burial at ‘Paang Bundok’

“The spirit of Rizal’s heroism lies in loving our country in our thoughts, words, and deeds,” she said in a statement.

“There need not be bloodshed to show our love for the motherland,” Poe added.

The senator is a member of the Senate committee on justice and human rights that investigated, along with the committee on public order and dangerous drugs, the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) in the country.

The joint panel came out with a report, saying that it found no proof that the killings were state-sanctioned.

READ: No proof of state killings, death squad existence — Senate committee

Poe was among five senators who did not sign the report.

“Maybe the committee report is right —that there’s no state-sponsored EJK, but there could have been more discussions on what the state is doing now to stop it,” she said in a recent television interview.

The joint report has been transmitted to the plenary and will be debated on by senators when Congress resumes its sessions next month. CBB/rga