Manila City 6th District Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante on Friday said bringing back the death penalty will surely help address corruption in the county’s vulnerable penal system, which he said has been exploited by powerful and moneyed criminals who have used bribery and coercion to turn penitentiaries like the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) into their “personal resorts.”
In a statement, the lawmaker pointed out the results of a recent NBP raid just showed that despite being imprisoned, it was “business as usual for drug lords and violent gangs who continue to flout our laws with impunity.”
“A recent raid of the NBP led by Bureau of Corrections officials unearthed thousands of cans of beer, dangerous weapons, cellular phones, illegal drugs, cash, and other prohibited paraphernalia,” he noted.
Abante – author of House Bill No. 4121, or the Death Penalty Law – had recently argued that the death penalty is necessary as “incarceration is not enough to stop criminals from committing more crimes.”
“Strengthening the penal system would only be possible with the use of necessary measures like the death penalty. As long as there are criminal elements like drug lords who can access their resources beyond prison walls, they will be in a position to bribe or threaten their jailers,” he said.
While the legislator lauded the results of BuCor’s “Oplan Paglilinis,” he warned that these issues would continue to resurface as long as the root of the problem is not addressed.
“Year in and year out we see the same problems in our prisons and these have plagued several administrations,” said Abante. “It’s an endless cycle that requires putting an end to the individuals behind it: the convicted criminals who continue to commit crimes in the comfort of their cells.”
According to him, removing the concerned criminals will remove the source of corruption.
“The death penalty is the permanent solution for these irredeemable criminals. The sooner the death penalty is reimposed, the sooner we will be able to implement reforms in our penal system,” Abante said. (PNA)
