After the death of 16-year-old Christine Silawan in Lapu-Lapu City, there have been talks about reviving the death penalty law. The crime has been one of the most gruesome cases of rape where the victim’s face was skinned and some of her insides were hurled out. Though the police have already identified suspects, they are yet to give more details about the case.
Since the demise, the hashtag #YesToDeathPenalty has been trending on Twitter as solidarity to get the suspect and punish him for the horrendous crime.
President Rodrigo Duterte has been vocal about wanting to revive the death penalty law and the House of Representatives approved the revival of the bill on the third and final reading. As of the moment, the bill is still pending in the Senate as many are still against capital punishment.
In 1987, the Philippines was the first country to abolish the death penalty; but it was reinstated in 1993 during the Ramos administration. In 2006, it was again abolished during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
