Phl joins World Day vs death penalty

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines joined 11 countries in issuing a Joint Declaration stating a clear position towards a more humane justice system and support to the worldwide abolition of the death penalty, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The DFA said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and 11 foreign ministers from around the world jointly issued the declaration to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty yesterday.

The declaration was also supported by Foreign Ministers Héctor Marcos Timerman (Argentina), Julie Bishop (Australia), Nassirou Bako Arifari (Benin), Djibrill Yipènè Bassolé (Burkina Faso), Duly Brutus (Haiti), José Antonio Meade Kuribreña (Mexico), Luvsanvandan Bold (Mongolia), Børge Brende (Norway), Didier Burkhalter (Switzerland), Mevlüt Cavusoglu (Turkey), and Philip Hammond (United Kingdom).

The Joint Declaration, launched by a regionally balanced group of countries representing the whole world, aims at fostering an open and respectful debate about the failings of the death penalty.

It constitutes an invitation addressed to all countries that will still start the abolition process or have yet to complete it.

Abolition requires well-informed national debates sustained by objective facts and findings while addressing popular fears and worries, it said.

The Philippine Constitution and its domestic laws underline its policy against the death penalty.

Article XI Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution provides that “the State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights,” while Section 19 provides that “excessive fines shall not be imposed; Neither shall the death penalty be imposed.”

The Philippines also enacted Republic Act 9346 or An Act Prohibiting the Imposition of the Death Penalty in the Philippines on June 24, 2006.

The Joint Declaration, the DFA said, reinforces the Philippines’ commitment to uphold its international obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Second Optional Protocol on the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, all aiming at abolishing death penalty and advocating the “right to life” of every human being.

“The Philippines believes that imposing the death penalty cannot fully deter crime and that the deterrence to criminality is a combination of several factors, such as an empowered citizenry, a skilled and trusted law enforcement sector, an effective prosecutorial service, and an independent judiciary,” the DFA said.