A topnotch lawyer and Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Bohol Chapter President opines that death penalty is not a crime deterrent but the certainty of punishment. “It is the certainty of imprisonment (punishment) that would deter a criminal from doing crimes”, said lawyer Salvador Diputado in a radio interview early this week. This is his personal stand, he clarified while the IBP is set to make a unified stand on the recent developments on death penalty abolition.

Diputado, a lawyer in private practice also admitted that there are indeed problems with the country's legal and justice systems. Candidly, he said there is an existing belief that there are prosecutors that can be bought; hoodlums in robes that mar the integrity of the courts, while saying there is an apparent reality of the poor doing time while the rich buying their freedoms. This needs to be addressed fast, he hinted.

Killing of a criminal is not enough to cover up the grief (caused by the crime), said Diputado. This means that even if the criminal is killed, it could not restore the offense he has done, the lawyer and Cuentas Claras co anchor said. While the country had a death penalty law, there was also a moratorium, pointed Diputado who also teaches law at the family-owned institution here.

His comment was in line with the recent Congressional ruling in support of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's intention for Congress to enact a law abolishing death penalty. With this recent development, the Administration celebrates victory of life as the president thanks Congress for its immediate action. “The abolition of the death penalty will be complemented by a stricter and sterner enforcement of the law in all fronts,” Malacanang said. The Administration urges our religious leaders to help the government in the moral and spiritual transformation of convicted offenders, particularly those serving maximum jail terms, even if they are not allowed parole, the Palace statement adds. In the same light, the Administration assures to implement all means to improving jail facilities order to render them conducive to prisoner rehabilitation and reform programs.