A Position Paper on the Death Penalty in the Philippines

Death penalty is a kind of capital punishment which refers to the sentence of death
over a person who has been decided by the government as guilty of committing capital
crimes or offences. Death penalty in the Philippines is stated on the Republic Act No. 7659
which is an act to impose the death penalty for certain heinous crimes, amending for that
purpose the revised penal laws, as amended, other special penal laws, and for other
purposes.
This paper present that I am somewhat agree and disagree of death penalty in the
Philippines, even though the death penalty is important to minimize the persons who have
got a very hard crimes, but death penalty violates the person to live.
Society has always used punishment is discourage would be criminals from unlawful
action. Since society has the highest interest in preventing murder, it should use the
strongest punishment available to deter murder, and that is the death penalty. If murderers
are sentence to death and executed, potential murderers will think twice before killing for
fear of losing their own life.
Our laws and criminal justice system should lead us to higher principles that
demonstrate a complete respect for life, even the life of a murderer. The notion of an eye
for an eye, or a life, is a simplistic one which our society has never endorsed.
Retribution has its basis in religious values, which have historically maintained that it is
proper to take an ‘’eye for an eye’’ and a life. Offenders deserve the worst punishment
under our system of law, and that is the death penalty.
Even if such executions have occurred, they are very rare. Imprisoning innocent
people is also wrong, but we cannot empty the prisons because of that minimal risk. The
death penalty alone imposes an irrevocable sentence. Once an inmate is executed, nothing
can be done to make amends if a mistake has been made. There is considerable evidence
that many mistakes have been made in sentencing people to death.
Death penalty shows justice. There will be justice when we punish the guilty. It shows
quality, on T.V I have seen people being interviewed because one or some of their relatives
died. There are crying for help and wanting justice for the death of their loved ones. I know
for sure that justice can only be the solution for them to be relieved. A serious crimes must
have serious penalty and that is death. Justice can dignify a person.
According to Bedau H (1982), Most people have a natural fear of death-it’s a trait man
have to think about what will happen before we act, if we don’t think it consciously, we will
think about it unconsciously. Think, if every murdered who killed someone died instantly,
the homicide rate would be very low because no one like to die. We cannot do this, but if
the justice system can make it more swift and severe, we could change the laws to make
capital punishment faster and make an appeals a shorter process. The death penalty is
important because it could save the lives of thousands of potential victims who are at stake.
Death penalty is one of the debatable in the criminal justice system. Today, there are
many pros and cons to this death penalty issues. However, if people weight the argument
properly, and have empathy for the victims, they will be more inclined to favor capital
punishment. As a matter of fact, most people in the Philippines today are in favor of it. But
we need more states to enforce the death penalty.