VP: rehab, not retribution, for drug offenders

Vice President Leni Robredo INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday contradicted the claim of President Rodrigo Duterte that the death penalty would bring retribution to criminals who had wronged society.

“I believe that our criminal justice system is such that it does not believe that penalties should be for retribution. Penalties should be for rehabilitation and reintegration,” Robredo said at a forum with students of St. Scholastica’s College in Manila as part of its celebration of International Women’s Month.

In his long and rambling press conference on Monday, Mr. Duterte said “the prayer is for a death penalty as a deterrence.”

“Some groups have completely ignored the [other] aspect of the criminal laws. What’s the purpose of criminal law? It’s retribution. Pay for what you owe society,” the President said.

Both the President and the Vice President are lawyers. Mr. Duterte spent several years as a prosecutor while Robredo was a human rights lawyer before she went into politics.

Robredo received a loud applause from the packed auditorium when she said she was against the death penalty.

The Vice President also spoke about continuing the fight for women empowerment.

“I hope you will take the time to learn of the troubles of women who are poorer than you and have lesser opportunities than you. It doesn’t take much to be aware of how the rest of our population live and engage them with empathy,” Robredo said.

The Filipino women are now each other’s “support system” as it has become a global trend that “our little girls are exposed to misogyny from society’s leaders, coarse language and vulgar references that can be heard over the radio and television. Sexual harassment and disrespect have become cool,” she said.

“We don’t have to silently swallow all of these things. We must learn how to stand up for our rights,” Robredo said.