Sexy, Innocent Child-Woman

Something that made me smile today...

I checked the Inquirer website this morning--something I hadn't done for the past two weeks, what with my trip to Honduras and everything I had to take care of upon my return to Chicago. I was overjoyed when I found out that Congress had voted to abolish the death penalty in the Philippines. The turn of events surprised me. I know this move isn't free from vested interests on the part of our dear politicians (sarcasm intended). But I'm still happy that the death penalty has been repealed, as of June 7th. I maintain that the death penalty does not deter crime. For crime does not happen in a vacuum. You cannot eradicate crime without addressing social structures or conditions that perpetuate it--such as poverty, unemployment, the culture of violence and its impact on men and women, and corruption in the justice system.

While reading the articles in the Inquirer, I suddenly remembered the words of Ate S, one of my friends on death row (prior to the abolition of the death penalty) in her letter dated April 24th: "Day, sigurado ako na isa ka sa napakasaya para sa amin dahil sa balitang ibinaba ang hatol na death [penalty]. Sana nga ay tuloy-tuloy na. At kahit papaano ay nabunutan kami ng tinik sa dibdib. At nawala ang takot na laging kasama kahit sa pagtulog. (I'm sure you're one of those people who are really happy for us because of the news about the commutation of death sentences [during Easter Sunday]. I hope things continue to go smoothly. Somehow, that's one less load to carry around [FYI: this is the most coherent translation I can think of for the expression 'nabunutan ng tinik,' but I could be wrong]. The fear that we carry with us all the time, even while we sleep, has disappeared.)"

I'm just happy that my sisters in CIW can finally sleep at night without the death sentence hanging over their heads. And I'm happy that death convicts would now have more opportunities for rehabilitation. Women and men on death row aren't allowed to participate in livelihood programs in the prisons. They can avail of such opportunities now that their sentences have been commuted to life imprisonment. Across thousands of miles, I can feel the relief voiced by a former death convict in this article.

That said, I still hope those who were previously on death row get extensive reviews of their cases. Idealistic as this may sound, I pray that the inmates whose cases are still on appeal would receive fair trials. I'm worried that the repeal of the death penalty may lead those in power to assume the guilt of all those previously sentenced to death instead of working to free the innocent. The ineligibility of former death convicts for parole is an unjust move for those who were wrongfully accused and convicted in the first place.

The fight is not yet over.

found herself @ 8:29 PM