Boholanos’ clamor: Restore death penalty

CEBU, Philippines - Furious over the crime of incestuous rape that shocked the deeply religious residents of Bohol, Boholanos from all walks of life yesterday pounded a public affairs radio program here with wild reactions clamoring for the immediate restoration of death penalty in the country.

For two hours, station DyRD’s top-rated Inyong Alagad program became an outlet of Boholanos’ outrage over last Monday’s rape incident in Brgy. San Roque of  Baclayon town where a 31-year-old man, believed to be under the influenced of  prohibited drugs, beat up his 54-year-old mother before raping her inside their house.

Radio reports here have named the suspect as a certain Neil Maligsi, married and has two kids. Locked up at Baclayon police  jail, the suspect is now facing rape charges lodged Wednesday by his own mother.

The incestuous rape, first of its kind in Bohol in recent history, has also fueled fresh demand of  the Boholano people for the national government to restore death penalty in the country “as soon as possible.”

This demand however may not be realized during the present term of Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, who earlier announced his opposition to the re-imposition of death penalty.

A caller of  DyRD yesterday said, “There is an urgent need to restore death penalty because many people have lost fear to commit crimes.”

Another caller said: “It seems that the senators and officials in Manila are not aware of  the gruesome crimes that are happening in our society today.”

During the entire stretch of the two-hour program, not a single Boholano expressed opposition to the wide clamor for the imposition of death penalty. Even church prelates here were mum about yesterday’s hottest radio topic.

Meanwhile, social media comments on last Monday’s rape continued to rage, with Facebook members clamoring for the return of death penalty. “I’m sick and tired of rape-related news. Restore death penalty now,” said Ny Makinano.

Of  the 134 comments posted on this writer’s news post, not a single person disagreed to the idea of restoring death penalty.

Laywer Julius Gregory Delgado, vice president of the Association of  Young Boholanos in Manila, told The Freeman yesterday that he highly favored the re-imposition of death penalty in the country. “There is empirical basis to call for the restoration and full implementation of death penalty for heinous crimes,” he said in a text message.

“This is a necessary tool to curb criminality which plagues even peaceful and deeply-religious communities such as the province of Bohol,” Delgado said.

Delgado however cautioned that the call for the restoration of the death penalty “should go hand-in-hand with reforms in the justice system so as to spare innocent individuals from being wrongly implicated, indicted and executed.”

Reacting on the incestuous rape in Baclayon, Delgado commented: “Son raping his mother is just sickening. We need an iron hand.”  (FREEMAN)