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MANILA, Philippines - Those calling for the revival of the death penalty in the wake of the "Alabang Boys" drug mess should be careful of what they wish for - they may end up at the receiving end, a Catholic bishop said.

Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop Oscar Cruz said the death penalty may be a dangerous weapon especially when used together with weak law enforcement, dysfunctional justice and the great divide between rich and poor.

"Would that those advocating death penalty are very, very certain that they themselves would not be subjected thereto in the event that they are found - truly or falsely - guilty of heinous crimes in the course of time," he said in his web log.

Several sectors called for the revival of the death penalty law in the wake of irregularities surrounding the "Alabang Boys" drug scandal.

On the other hand, Cruz said those "publicly and loudly" advocating the revival of the death penalty appear to be seeking political mileage.

"With weak law enforcement agencies, a dysfunctional justice system plus the great divide between the powerful rich and the helpless poor before the law of the land, how on earth could death penalty be justified? While there are still some capable and upright law enforcement agents, while there are also certain competent and trustworthy members of the judiciary – all of whom look and treat everybody as equal before the law – these valuable public servants are not only relatively few but in fact still becoming fewer during the incumbency of a locally and internationally well acknowledged corrupt and corrupting national leadership," he said.

On the other hand, he said criminals in uniform plus hoodlums in robe equal injustice, while power plus corruption equal injustice, and goons with guns plus gold equal injustice.

This is why all kinds of prisons all over the land are filled with powerless and penniless individuals who are readily caught, ceremoniously tried and immediately convicted, he said.

"As usual, the well-known 'big fishes' – much bigger criminals, more lawless characters and antisocial individuals – are all together free to benefit from their gross misdeeds and enjoy life much. These basically unjust realities in the Country are definitely neither the rational nor decent premises of a death penalty," he said.

Cruz said, a credible and effective law enforcement and dependable and trusted justice system is the winning combination that deters crimes.

"The truth of the matter is that human justice, no matter how strict and proper, nevertheless still remains fallible. And death penalty is so terminal that human life remains ended no matter how well a wrong judgment is subsequently corrected. That is why life imprisonment, no matter how long since inflicted and notwithstanding the prolonged difficulty thereto appended, is nevertheless subject to correction when proven unjustly imposed. How does one correct an execution once already done?" he added. - GMANews.TV

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