Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles is urging his colleagues to focus first on how Congress can help fight the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), particularly in jails around the country, instead of reviving the death penalty.
Nograles, Vice-Chair of the House Committee on Justice, supports the re-imposition of the death penalty for heinous crimes.
The Philippines has the highest jail occupancy in the world, with a congestion rate at 534 percent.
However, he said Congress should instead direct its attention towards the most pressing health crisis that the country is facing.
“Hindi naman sikreto na suportado natin ang death penalty for heinous crimes. But I think if we are going to talk about justice, pag-usapan na muna natin kung paano maiibsan ang pagkalat ng COVID-19 sa ating mga kulungan,” Nograles said.
“We can talk about reinstating death penalty after we’ve had a desirable degree of control over the ongoing health crisis. Let’s not feed the flames of indignation of our people who think that our focus lies elsewhere than helping them survive,” he added.
The lawmaker has repeatedly called for the government to release low-risk and vulnerable persons deprived of liberty in a bid to arrest the spread of COVID-19 in the country’s highly congested jails.
Nograles has called for the government to release low-risk and vulnerable persons deprived of liberty to arrest the spread of COVID-19.
The Philippines has the highest jail occupancy in the world, with a congestion rate at 534 percent.
“Sana sa ngayon, bunuin muna natin ang lakas at isip natin sa pag-ligtas ng mga buhay. Kahit ang mga preso natin, may karapatang mabuhay,” said Nograles.
The Department of Interior and Local Government announced that so far close to 22,000 inmates have been released from the 470 jail facilities run by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
Nograles expressed hope that more would follow, and that other measures to secure the health of PDLs as well as jail personnel.