"There are over 6,000 deaths, suspected marijuana drug dealers or other
drugs, and 1,000 people killed, only on the basis of a suspect, in the
last month.
For some it may be a great success: it is a death sentence
de facto, without the need for a law on the death penalty or lengthy
court procedures.
The elimination of criminal suspects with a summary
execution is much more effective, according to supporters of this
policy.
In all this there is something sinister and cruel": is what Fr.
Shay Cullen says to Agenzia Fides, an Irish missionary in the
Philippines, founder and director of "Preda" Foundation, which deals
with many social works in favor of abandoned children, exploited women,
drug addicts.
The missionary noted with concern that "this phenomenon, already widely
denounced by NGOs in recent months, does not seem to stop in any way, or
rather has the overwhelming approval of 76% of Filipinos".
Fr. Cullen notes that "Parliament could approve the reinstatement of the
death penalty, despite all the debates against such practice does not
deter crime, kills innocent and suspicious people, or mostly the poor
who cannot afford lawyers; It is cruel and deprives the accused of
possible redemption; It is against the sacred value of life and the
dignity of the human person".
But this would be "a legal way to suppress a convict", he adds. Instead
"summary executions are faster".
"To kill a thousand people a month is a
fact that cannot be underestimated. It is the most cruel death penalty
ever seen, which is practiced every day. It is a monstrous crime to
counter many small drug dealers. The suspects are not given the
opportunity to defend themselves against their accusers, which is their
constitutional right. These rights have been suspended and the challenge
for all today is to reinstate it. This violence must stop, it is
costing many lives, and is against the rule of law", said Fr. Cullen.