Sobra na ang patayan, huwag nang dagdagan pa!

 Sen. Bam Aquino made this pronouncement as he objected to the restoration of the death penalty amid the unabated and unsolved extrajudicial killings in the country.

During the hearing of the Committee on Justice, Sen. Bam requested concerned government agencies to submit statistics and pertinent data to determine if the justice system and proposed death penalty is biased against the poor.

 “Mga Pilipino ba na naghihirap at desperado sa buhay ang nabibilanggo? Let’s look at the numbers and determine whether our justice system is anti-poor,” said Sen. Bam.

Sen. Bam urged the committee to invite a representative from the Supreme Court to clarify unconfirmed reports that 71 percent of death penalty cases reviewed by the High Court were determined to be wrong.

 The senator also wants economic managers and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to speak about the impact of death penalty on jobs and trade agreements entered into by the government in the past.

 “This move will also affect some of the treaties, conventions, and agreements we’ve already signed up to,” he added.

 Instead of restoring the death penalty, Sen. Bam stressed the need to strengthen the country’s justice system.

“In the same way the PNP is now conducting an internal cleansing as they undertake the war on drugs, our justice system must also undergo reforms to ensure that no innocent Filipino is convicted and that there is true justice for the poor,” said Sen. Bam.