THE PHILIPPINES’ FORUM FOR INTERNATIONAL READERS SINCE 1981
February 26-March 11, 2017 Vol. XXXV No. 7
STILL IN STORES
www.expatphilippines.ph
Newspaper
The 12th Station of the Cross at gorgeous Calvary Hills in Iguig, Cagayan. Constructed in 1982, Calvary Hills is a sprawling fourhectares of rolling hills overlooking the Cagayan River that has become a major pilgrimage tour destination in the Philippines. Photo by Martin San Diego courtesy of the NPVB
Killing in the name of Why is the Duterte administration obsessed with reviving the death penalty? By TIMOTHY JAY IBAY
T
he Duterte administration has a curious fascination with death – appearing to fancy it as an encompassing solution to many of the country’s problems. While much has been made – and rightfully so – of President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody and illogical “war on drugs,” which has left close to 7,000 (by some estimates) lifeless bodies in just eight months, a question worth asking is why the administration has been so bent on reviving the death penalty. House priority Last December, the Duterte-controlled House of Representatives approved at the committee level the bill that would restore death penalty, which paved the way for the measure to be taken up on the plenary floor. At that time, there were more than 20 crimes punishable by death under the pro-
posed measure, which included qualified piracy, qualified bribery, cultivation or culture of plants classified as dangerous drugs and “carnapping,” among others. Curiously, despite the plethora of issues the country is facing, what the Congress has deemed a priority is the revival of the death penalty, perhaps under the delusion that the slow and creaky wheels of justice in the country would even reach the point of anyone being sentenced to the death penalty. As pointed out by house Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, even if Congress passes the bill restoring capital punishment, there is a possibility that Duterte would not be able to use it within his six-year term, citing “the long gestation period of conviction.” In the second week of February, the administration’s allies in Congress sought to trim the list of offenses punishable by death.
Comically enough, one of the crimes they wanted trimmed from the list was plunder. “This is just a matter of money, anyway, as they say, too lame for others to include,” was Rep. Reynaldo Umali’s justification. As noted by a Manila Times article, a 2001 study conducted by the World Bank found that an estimated PhP609 billion was lost to corruption. “I think that will be a severe blow because it basically says the Philippines can walk away from international treaties,” British Ambassador Asif Ahmad recently said, referring to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Second Optional Protocol of the ICCPR on the abolition of the death penalty, of which the Philippines is a signatory. “Part of the President’s frustration is that page 3 the wheels of justice here turn
DOT eyes on Pagudpud tourism’s sustainability
T
he Department of Tourism (DOT) is keen on working together with local government units (LGU) in planning the development of the northernmost tip of Luzon. Tourism Undersecretary for Public Affairs and Advocacy Katherine de Castro disclosed the department’s plans to work hand in hand with LGUs to look at the ongoing construction boom in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte and to manage its rapid development. Speaking at a hotel inauguration in Balaoi, two hours away from Laoag, de Castro noticed how progressive Pagudpud has become in such a short span of time. “It is time to do something about it to avoid congestion,” she said, citing Boracay and Puerto Galera as cases in point. De Castro said it is Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo’s directive to spread out the tourism spotlight across the Philippines. “We are page 3 a country of 7,107 islands. It is