Refer to: Ms. Dale Zapata 83321148

On commutation of sentences by PGMA VP NOLI: STRONG JUSTICE SYSTEM DETERRENT TO CRIME

17 April 2006

Vice President Noli ‘Kabayan’ De Castro called for a strengthening of the justice system – law enforcement, effective judiciary and efficient prison system – to support any decision to commute sentences of death convicts.

Vice President De Castro made this call in reaction to a plan by President Arroyo to commute the sentence of some 1, 200 death convicts to life imprisonment.

De Castro stressed that upgrading all the facets of the justice system would insure that the needed deterrence against the commission of crime would be upheld. At the same time, the poor who are always given the death penalty would have a chance to rehabilitate themselves.

On law enforcement, De Castro said that the crime fighters must now intensify their anti-crime efforts and that the government must give the police force the logistical support and proper training.

Nararapat lang na bigyan ng sapat na kaalaman, pagsasanay at kagamitan ang ating mga tagapagpatupad ng batas upang magampanan nila nang lubos ang nakaatang na tungkulin sa kanila na panatiliin ang kapayapaan at kaayusan sa ating bayan.

Even as senator and a journalist, De Castro had batted for the abolition of death penalty. Taking off from studies on the effects of death penalty, De Castro believed that the death penalty had never been deterrent to crime and was always anti-poor.

“Sentenced prisoners are not hopeless persons. They could be rehabilitated with proper education and given training in work so that they could be helpful members of the society,” De Castro said, as he called for concrete measures to help the sentenced prisoners.

The Vice President described the President’s plan as Christian act that is supported by the Christian community and other religions. “I believe, the President, upon reflection, acted as many Christian Catholic would, to give compassion to our imprisoned brothers and sisters a chance to reform.”