Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. on Tuesday visited the wake of Queen Leanne Daguinsin, the 23-year-old De La Salle University-Dasmarinas graduating student who was murdered in her dormitory in Cavite last March 28.
Revilla extended his condolences to the family of Daguinsin at the wake in Pila, Laguna as he renewed his call for the restoration of capital punishment following the death of the DLSU computer science student, who was stabbed 14 times.
The restoration of the death penalty would ensure that the crime will never happen again, Revilla said as he lauded the arrest of the suspect in the robbery and killing of Daguinsin that happened in Barangay Santa Fe, Dasmarinas on March 28.
“While the suspect in this atrocious crime was swiftly captured, we have to ensure that this will never happen again,” Revilla said in his statement.
“These kinds of people should be sentenced to death so no one will follow in their footsteps,” added the senator, a native of Cavite.
The 39-year-old suspect Angelito Erlano, alias “Kulet,” was found hiding at his friend’s home in Barangay Victory Reyes, Dasmariñas, Cavite on Saturday.
Erlano allegedly broke into Daguinsin’s dormitory and stabbed her to death.
Earlier, Revilla announced a P300,000 reward for the capture of the suspect.
While the city government offered a P300,000 reward, Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. and Dasmariñas Mayor Jennifer Barzaga contributed P100,000 each, and Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla also offered P300,000, raising the total to P1.1 million.
Revilla’s fellow senators Jinggoy Estrada, Robinhood Padilla, Christopher Lawrence Go, and Ronald Dela Rosa are known to support the reinstatement of the death penalty in the Philippines.
However, dela Rosa limited his filed measure only to high-level drug traffickers, saying in a previous statement that he is confident it will “gain traction” this 19th Congress.
Meanwhile, Go’s proposed measure filed in July 2019 during the 18th Congress seeks to impose capital punishment on those who are guilty of plunder or the illegal acquisition of wealth by a public officer with an aggregate amount of at least P50 million.
Also included on Go’s version are those who are proven to have committed drug-related crimes, specifically importation, distribution, and possession of dangerous drugs or essential chemicals; maintenance of dens for related activities; cultivation of illicit narcotic plants; unlawful prescription of dangerous drugs; misapplication of confiscated drugs by public officers; and planting of evidence.
In the 18th Congress, none of the 11 death penalty bills filed by nine senators were acted upon after being referred to the Committee on Justice and Human Rights, chaired by former senator Richard Gordon. Roy Tomandao
