The Philippines appears on the verge of reinstating the death penalty, which it abolished in 1987. The cause is a wave of kidnappings, mainly involving the families of wealthy ethnic Chinese businessmen; the government of President Fidel Ramos has been told that the kidnappings are scaring off foreign investors, who could hold the Key to economic recovery.
The Philippine Senate has passed legislation calling for the death penalty for kidnappers, but the House has come up with a laundry list of crimes it also wants the same punishment applied to. These include treason, murder, plunder and piracy. A compromise is in the works, one that is expected to call at the minimum for the death penalty for convicted kidnapers.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 19, 1993
