PRESIDENT-ELECT Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday the reimposition of capital punishment was not aimed at deterring crime but at having the criminal elements pay for their past mistakes.
He made the statement even as he slammed the media for allegedly twisting his statements, and broadcast giants ABS-CBN and TV5 for being the “mouthpiece of the oligarchs.”
Meanwhile, Commission on Human Rights Chairman Jose Luis Martin Gascon said he and Duterte would not have any problems if Duterte followed the Constitution.
Duterte, speaking at the oath-taking of Senator-elect Manny Pacquiao in Sarangani, acknowledged the claims of human rights groups that the death penalty would not deter crime, but he insisted it would be a form of retribution for the sins committed by criminals.
“The death penalty to me is retribution—you pay for the mistakes you have done in this life,” Duterte told local officials.
Various groups, including Amnesty International and the Commission on Human Rights, say Duterte’s aim to reinstate the death penalty as part of his hard-line stance against crime will not be successful.
They say the mere restoration of the death penalty is the “ultimate violation of the right to life.”
In a television interview, Gascon said they had already formed a national task force to probe extra-judicial killings in anticipation of its rise in Duterte’s presidency.
“The president-elect should follow the Constitution and we won’t have a problem,” Gascon said.
“I hope that this relationship will blossom into a relationship based on rules.”
Duterte said his stance against journalists was only aimed at the third type: the vultures.
He then slammed ABS-CBN, which is owned by the Lopezes, and TV5, which is owned by Manny V. Pangilinan. He said the two broadcast giants were the “mouthpiece of vested interests.”
“Itong pangalawa, itong mga announcer, itong mga broadcaster na mouthpiece ng kumpanya niya. Yan, ABS-CBN, Pangilinan—Action 5? May mga newspaper… they are there to protect their vested interest. Kapag inatake sila eto na yung mga magprotekta sa kanila just to influence the thinking of the person,” Duterte said.
During the campaign trail, ABS-CBN became the sole network to air a controversial television advertisement commissioned by Senator Antonio Trillanes attacking Duterte and showing children condemning his supposed ill manners foul speeches.
Some of Duterte’s cabinet members have links to both broadcast giants, with incoming Communications Secretary Martin Andanar being a former broadcaster and anchor of TV5, while incoming Environment Secretary Regina Lopez is a scion of the Lopez group, the owners of ABS-CBN.
Duterte said the “vultures” in media were twisting his statements. His spokesmen had previously said he was being “misquoted” by the news organizations throughout the campaign.