SONA 2020: Duterte calls for death penalty revival anew
President Rodrigo Duterte calls for the revival of the death penalty through lethal injection for crimes specified in the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 during his fifth SONA or State of the Nation Address this afternoon.| Screen grab from video
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Minutes after President Rodrigo Duterte vowed that the Philippine government “will not dodge” its obligation to protect human rights, the country’s top executive then asked the Congress to pass a law that would reinstate capital punishment by lethal injection.
Duterte, in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), called on the lawmakers to “swiftly” pass the law reimposing the death penalty for crimes specified by the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
This is the third time that President Duterte aired through his SONA the call for the revival of the death penalty. The first was in 2017 and during his fourth SONA in 2019.
Duterte said he would someday tell the “true story” how the drug situation in the country reached its present condition and why drug syndicates continue to operate here.
“Para tayong… Talagang binababoy tayo. But this is not the time for storytelling,” Duterte said.
“This law will not only help us deter criminality but also save our children from the dangers posed by the illegal and dangerous drugs,” the president added.
He then proceeded to tell why he hates drugs and how it connects to and affects the lives of the Filipino families, a common narrative during his speeches.
President Duterte’s allies make up the “super majority” in Congress.
Before his call for the reinstatement of the death penalty, Duterte also spoke of his administration’s commitment to uphold human rights.
“My administration always believed that freedom from illegal drugs, terrorism, corruption, and criminality is itself a human rights violation,” Duterte said.
“Part of our efforts to uphold human rights is the protection of the rights of children and the rights against discrimination,” Duterte said.
Duterte recounted his issuance of Executive Order No. 92 which created the National Council against Child Labor.
“Government efforts to protect the rights of children will be amplified to prevent, reduce and eliminate any form of child labor,” he added.
“Our achievements along this line have been extolled by an overwhelming number of fellow member-states in the UN Human Rights Council during its recently held 44th session last June. Rest assured that we will not dodge our obligation to fight for human rights,” the president added./dbs
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