By Brian Jules Campued
A lawmaker on Thursday called for the revival of the death penalty following “another senseless death” of an elderly family driver in a road rage at the EDSA-Ayala tunnel in Makati City.
In a statement, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers renewed his call for capital punishment as the road rage suspect Gerrard Raymund Yu faces three charges, including murder.
“It is time we revive the death penalty and include more crimes to be punishable by death. If we are to save the future generations, we have to show them the right way of governance,” Barbers said.
“Leniency and indifference will erode confidence and faith in government. Already we have seen how these criminals run roughshod over our laws because they know that they can get away with it with their money and influence,” he added.
The solon also asked why the suspect got to own guns to kill a helpless civilian and further commented as to how corruption has eroded the “moral fiber” of the country which has caused criminals to have their way.
“Corruption from the lowest ranking employees who facilitate or “fixes” transactions for a fee, to the high-ranking officials in government who allow and empower the criminals to live among us, has enabled these criminals to run their wares with impunity,” Barbers said.
Authorities arrested Yu in Pasig City on Wednesday morning through a follow-up investigation. He was detained at the Makati City police station.
Barbers commended the Philippine National Police (PNP) for its fast action in apprehending the suspect, reminding the PNP to ensure thorough investigation to put the perpetrator behind bars.
“We must never put our guard down and make sure that the suspect will not be able to exert any pressure or influence in the investigation up to the conclusion of this case. All eyes are on our law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to ensure that justice will be served,” he added. – avds
