PANGILINAN: ON PGMAS DECISION TO COMMUTE ALL DEATH SENTENCES

As an anti-death penalty advocate, while I welcome the death sentence commutation, it appears that, among other things, it is meant to shore up political points with the international community coming as it does in the heels of the New York Times article criticizing PGMA as veering towards authoritarianism and away from constitutional democracy. What better way to respond by stating that we respect the sanctity of human life and are against death penalty in the Philippines.

We welcome it but until the administration reexamines its posturing on CPR, EO 464, PP1017 and the illegal peoples initiative and demonstrates by way of overt acts that it has abandoned these positions, I remain skeptical as to its real intentions in promoting and respecting human rights.