MALACAÑANG on Wednesday said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has not made any decision on whether to revive the death penalty amid renewed public calls to curb corruption and heinous crimes.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the President believes that any move to lift the suspen-sion of capital punishment must undergo careful and thorough study.
“So far, the President has not mentioned any plan to reimpose the death penalty,” Castro said in a press briefing.
“If ever this is considered, it must be studied deeply. We cannot decide hastily because this concerns the integrity of our justice system,” she added.
Castro emphasized the need to strengthen what she called the country’s “five pillars of justice” before any discussion on rein-stating capital punishment can move forward.
“We must ensure a clean, fair, and well-functioning justice system. We cannot allow decisions to be influenced by past inci-dents where evidence was allegedly planted or manipulated,” she said.
“If an innocent person were wrongly accused and sentenced to death, that would be a grave injustice,” she added.
Castro reiterated that the Marcos administration remains focused on strengthening law enforcement, judicial reform, and anti-corruption measures.
The Philippines abolished the death penalty in 1987, becoming the first Asian nation to end capital punishment for all crimes. It was restored in 1993 under President Fidel Ramos through Republic Act 7659 amid rising crime, with executions later carried out by lethal injection under Republic Act 8177. President Joseph Estrada declared a moratorium in 2000, which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo upheld. In 2006, Arroyo signed Republic Act 9346, permanently repealing the death penalty.
