Opening Statements

Opening Statements
Pro:
At least 50,000 crime incidence. Thats how high the number of crimes recorded here in
the Philippines from July 2015 to July 2016, citing a report from the Philippine National
Police (PNP). Every year, hundreds, if not thousands, of people are deliberately
murdered. Hundreds of innocent lives. If their killers are caught, and they get executed,
it is certain that they will never kill again. Basically, DEATH PENALTY IS SAVING
MORE INNOCENT LIVES. Of all endeavors that put innocents at risk, is there one with
a better record of sparing innocent lives than the Philippine death penalty? Unlikely.
A splendid afternoon to you Miss Caitlin as well as to my fellow classmates. This house
believes that death penalty should be implemented once again here in our country.
The Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible says, The penalty shall be life for life, eye for
eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise
for bruise.
Yes, the legal system here in the Philippines is not as perfect as it should be. It certainly
has flaws on it, but death penalty already has a foundation in justice and it spares more
innocent lives than the other options available out there. The majority populations of the
countries here in Southeast Asia, likely, support the death penalty for some crimes.
Why? Justice. Death Penalty: Justice & Saving More Innocent lives.
Lets talk about moral foundations of death penalty. Pope Pius XII himself said, When it
is a question of the execution of a man condemned to death it is then reserved to the
public power to deprive the condemned of the benefit of life, in expiation of his fault,
when already, by his fault, he has dispossessed himself of the right to live." 9/14/52.
Heres a fun fact about the death penalty here in the Philippines. Did you know that the
Catholic Church was Once Pro-Death Penalty?
The irony of it all. Currently, a majority of the church are against death penalty. But in
some point in time during the Philippine Revolution, Manila Archbishop Bernardino
Nozaleda openly called for Filipino rebels to be exterminated by fire, sword, and
wholesale executions. The Spanish authorities then regularly conducted public
executions of Filipino revolutionaries. Some historians even say that he was indirectly
responsible for Jose Rizals death, after supporting the dismissal of the peace-minded
Governor Ramon Blanco and replacing him with the tough Camilo de Polavieja.
Since the death penalty's suspension in 2006, there have been continued public and
media calls for its reintroduction, particularly prompted by high-profile murder cases.
During the 2016 election, presidential candidate and frontrunner, Davao City mayor
Rodrigo Duterte, campaigned to restore the death penalty in the Philippines. During the
"Yes or No" segment of the second presidential debate on March 20, 2016, Duterte and
Senator Grace Poe were the only candidates who said "Yes" when asked about the
restoration of the death penalty in the country, favoring the decision. Duterte, who won
the election in May 2016, supports restoration of the death penalty by hanging. It has
been reported that he wants capital punishment for criminals involved in illegal drugs,
gun-for-hire syndicates and those who commit heinous crimes such as rape, robbery
or car theft where the victim is murdered, while Poe has stated that the capital
punishment should apply to criminals convicted of "drugs and multiple crimes where
involved people can no longer be rehabilitated."
If someone commits murder it is highly unlikely that they will ever be rehabilitated. A
murderer has ended the life of another and sometimes they have tortured the victim
before killing them. What about the victims family and the suffering they will endure for
the rest of their lives? Murderers should pay the ultimate price for their crime because
they took the most valued thing a person has and that victim will never get it back.
Some murderers even commit murder in prision therefore the safety of other prisioners
is even at risk. Once someone commits murder they have nothing to lose by commiting
additional murders. Is that fair to a prision population or the general public should this
person ever be released from prison or escape? If a person commits murder they know
what the consequences are. There are no excuses when they commit the crime
knowing what it may cost them. Some people try to make a point that an innocent
person could be convicted and put to death. In todays world we have DNA and other
technology to better ensure that mistakes aren't made. We also have and extensive
appeals process and non-profits who will take on cases for those they think were
wrongly convicted.
As a conclusion, we in the positive side believe that death penalty should be reimposed
once again here in the Philippines.
Con:
Death is final. There is no reconsideration or second chances. Thus, the decision to
impose the death penalty should be made only in the most heinous of cases where
there is absolutely no doubt that the defendant is guilty of premeditated first degree
murder. Even then, the act of taking a human life as retribution or punishment for taking
the life of another is not a decision to be made by man. We do not hold the lives of the
others.
A splendid afternoon to you Miss Caitlin as well as to my fellow classmates. This house
believes that death penalty should not be implemented once again here in our country.
I am against the death penalty not because of sympathy for criminals, but because for a
whole lot more of reasons. Death penalty isnt really effective in reducing crime,
prolongs the anguish of families of murder victims, costs a whole lot more than life in
prison, and, worst of all, risks executions of innocent people. You can never reverse an
execution.
The worst thing about it: Errors.
The system can make tragic mistakes. In one case involving Eusebio Molijan,
sentenced to death for multiple murder during an attempted robbery in 1950 and
executed by electrocution in 1958, there remains concern, that he may have been
falsely convicted. Eusebio Molijan was convicted on the strength of a written confession
which he retracted during his trial, saying he had been punched in the stomach and
beaten by a piece of wood by police to force him to confess. He also claimed he has
been forced against his will to participate in the robbery and that another man had
planned and carried out the murders. The Supreme Court acknowledged that there was
insufficient evidence to prove that Molijan was the instigator of the crime, but this death
sentence was confirmed.
Not only Eusebio Molijar is the victim of injustice, as well as:
Fernando Galera 26 years old, fish vendor, innocent but sentenced to death because
he cant afford to pay competent lawyers (4/1994)
Richard Ong 33, innocent who was sentenced to death in (12/1994) 8/1996. He was
tortured and confessed something which he didnt do.
Hideshi Suzuki 38, Japanese man sentenced to death in 12/1994 because of
marijuana trafficking. He claimed that the marijuana were planted on him by a police
office.
Retribution is just another word for revenge, and the desire for revenge is one of the
lowest human emotions. To kill the person who has killed someone close to you, is
simply to continue the violence which destroys the avenger as well as the offender. That
this execution somehow give 'closure' to a tragedy is a myth. Expressing ones violence
simply reinforces the desire to express it. Just as expressing anger simply makes us
angrier. It does not drain away. It contaminates the otherwise good will which any
human being needs to progress in love and understanding. WE can have the death
penalty but we need more of,
More pre-trial time...
More experts...
Twice as many attorneys...
Two trials instead of one will be conducted: one for guilt and one for punishment.
Every human life should be treated as sacred. If I was innocent and got a death penalty,
the one thing I would care about is not dying. Even if it costs money and 5 out of 1000
people are innocent, every life counts because that innocent life may be our own life. If
someone is enslaved in prison all his life, he will have time to think about his actions
and confess to god before he dies. If he does, then he will certainly go to heaven.
As a conclusion, we in the negative side believe that death penalty should not be
reimposed.

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