David: Death penalty not the answer to corruption
Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David on Monday said he disagreed with television host and comedian Vice Ganda, who earlier called for the revival of the death penalty to serve as punishment for corrupt government officials involved in anomalous flood control projects.
“I understand the outrage and the demand for serious accountability. But the Church’s opposition to capital punishment is rooted in this reality: in practice, it is almost always the poor who end up executed, while the wealthy escape,” David said in a Facebook post.
He warned that the death penalty law may be weaponized by those in power, noting that “those with money can buy the best legal defense, delay trials indefinitely, or manipulate the system” while “the defenseless and powerless have no such protection.”
“That’s why the answer to corruption cannot be more death, but a deeper reform of justice—one that protects the poor and holds the powerful accountable,” David said.
In an expletive-laden speech during the Trillion Peso March held on Sunday at the Edsa People Power Monument, Vice Ganda called on the government to reinstate the death penalty and use it to punish corrupt officials.
Prison not enough
“For me, prison is not enough. These corrupt thieves should be killed. Bring back the death penalty for the corrupt! Kill all the thieves! Imprison their families as well! The government should make a law to bring back the death penalty,” Vice Ganda said.
Turning to the priests and religious leaders beside her, the comedian said: “I’m sorry, father. I know you do not want the death penalty. Just pray for me.”
For Vice Ganda, corrupt politicians should be killed because they are “worse than a murderer” and a “thief,” with corruption “worse than terrorism.”
“Terrorists choose the place and time for when they attack, but thieves in the Philippines do not choose a time. They steal from us every day. And terrorists attack those who have a different belief, faith, race, but the corrupt steal from their fellow Filipinos,” she said.
Call for repentance
David, who also spoke at the rally, however, called on those involved in the controversy to repent.
“To those who enriched themselves with the people’s money, there is still a chance to return to the good side. It is never too late to be converted; return what is not yours,” he said.
The Philippines abolished the death penalty in 2006 after then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Republic Act No. 9346, prohibiting its imposition in the country.
