PRESIDENT NOW PRO-DEATH PENALTY

DAVAO City - After listening to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte talk about his
tough brand of law enforcement, Ms Macapagal has backtracked from her
long-standing opposition to the death penalty.

She now says she has realized that the death penalty is necessary to
deter criminals.

"Even I who am convent-bred understand the eye-for-an-eye and a
tooth-for-a tooth (attitude), especially if the crime is very grave,"
the President told Net25 television on Thursday night.

She said upholding the death penalty would be her administration's
application of the biblical injunction famously elucidated by Duterte.

But she said that Duterte "never said he will implement the
an-eye-for-an-eye and a tooth-for-a-tooth" rule.

In fact, she quoted him as saying that he respected human rights and
the law.

Ms Macapagal earlier vowed to stay all state executions in line with
her personal beliefs and the Church's pro-life stance. She voted
against the Death Penalty Law as a senator.

But early this year, she changed her mind and assured the
Chinese-Filipino community that she would allow convicted kidnappers
to be executed but said the execution of criminals would be stayed.

On Wednesday, however, Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable Jr.
said there would be no stay of the execution of convicted rapist
Alfredo Nardo on Oct. 16.

Duterte, who was widely criticized for his tough statements on
criminals and criminality at last Tuesday's anti-crime summit, has
been asked to serve as police "consultant" in the renewed drive
against kidnapping and drug trafficking.

Duterte said criminals "threaten to kill, so what we'll do is we kill
them, too."

Duterte's discourse, while apparently pleasing to the President, has
been criticized by social and human rights activists.

Fr. Jose Dizon, PlunderWatch spokesperson, said Duterte's approach was
destined to fail and may even end up with "us losing all our eyes and
our teeth."

"We had this kind of approach during martial law, which ended up with
about 10,000 innocents summarily executed, and former Manila Mayor
Alfredo Lim's Dirty Harry approach to drug syndicates and criminality,
which ended up with innocent people complaining of human rights
violations," said Dizon.

He said Duterte's favorite biblical phrase from the Old Testament was
no longer acceptable among Christians who now propagate Jesus Christ's
principal message of love, peace and reconciliation.

Administration Sen. Ralph Recto on Friday hailed Ms Macapagal's
newfound vigor in curbing criminality, particularly kidnapping,
illegal drugs and terrorism.

He said Ms Macapagal's "tough mama" image fits her to a tee, pointing
out that the country "needs an Iron Lady more than a Mother Teresa."

And consistent with this new image, administration Sen. Renato
Cayetano called on the President not to commute the death sentences
handed down to hardened criminals.

"The punishment of death is a known deterrent to the commission of
heinous crimes such as rape, kidnap-for-ransom, robbery with homicide
and drug trafficking, among others," Cayetano said.

He said the President should only consider commuting the death
sentences of convicts who are below 21 years old or those suffering
from mental disorders.