ASIA/PHILIPPINES - Reintroducing death penalty is a false solution to crime

Manila (Agenzia Fides) - "Death penalty does not solve the problem of crime. It is a false hope": says, in a note sent to Fides, the Commission for the prison ministry of the Episcopal Conference of the Philippines, urging president Rodrigo Duterte and political parties to abandon the project of restoring the death penalty in the country.
Rodolfo Diamante, a lay Catholic and Executive Secretary of the Commission, stressed that "capital punishment is not an effective deterrent to crime" and reintroducing it would be "an affront to human dignity".
"We appeal to the President and our legislators not to resort to an alleged 'rapid solution' of the problem of crime, stopping to give people the false hope that this solution exists, which would be death penalty", he said on "World Day against death penalty", celebrated yesterday, 10 October.
The Church reiterates its firm commitment against capital punishment and raises awareness to improve policies to combat crime. "Death is never the answer. Death penalty is not the answer for violent crime, abortion is not the answer for unplanned pregnancies", emphasized Diamond, also noting that "the killings of drug dealers in the country are a farce for the efficiency in the fight against crime".
While pledging to fight corruption, drugs and crime, Christians "are called to defend and proclaim the inviolability of the human person, who is the image of God" said Diamond, remembering that "human life is intrinsically valuable". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 11/10/2016)

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