Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Thursday called for the revival of the death penalty following “another senseless death” of an elderly family driver in a road rage at the Edsa-Ayala tunnel in Makati City.
“It is time we revive the death penalty and include more crimes to be punishable by death. If we are to save the future generations, we have to show them the right way of governance. Leniency and indifference will erode confidence and faith in government,” he said in a statement.
“Already we have seen how these criminals run roughshod over our laws because they know that they can get away with it with their money and influence,” he said.
Barbers, chairman of the House committee on Dangerous Drugs, asked why the suspect, identified as Gerard Raymund Yu, “got to own guns to kill helpless innocent Filipino civilians.”
“Corruption from the lowest ranking employees who facilitate or ‘fixes’ transactions for a fee, to the high-ranking officials in government who allow and empower the criminals to live among us, has enabled these criminals to run their wares with impunity,” he said.
Authorities arrested Yu in Pasig City on Wednesday and his black Mercedes Benz (DAD 9670) was also found in his residence.
Found inside the vehicle was Plate No. BCS 77, the plate number used by the suspect when the shooting occurred last Tuesday, along with two Taurus cal.40 pistols.
The seized firearms matched the recovered fired cartridge case from the crime scene based on the result of the ballistic examination.
Marites Valmorio, 47, a household worker, and a minor, were on board a Toyota Innova (NCV 542) when the vehicle’s driver, 65-year-old Aniceto Mateo, got into an altercation with Yu.
Yu allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Mateo, who died on the spot.
Barbers lauded the Philippine National Police (PNP) for its fast action in apprehending Yu.
“The justice system must not relax its processes. The PNP must ensure that thorough investigation is conducted and the guilty perpetrator is put behind bars”, he said. (PNA)