Philippines
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Abolitionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · The leader of Crusade Against Violence, Carina Agarao,...
- News items in the archive
- 556
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Philippines is classified as Abolitionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 556 news items on Philippines, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
- JUNE 8, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. BISHOPS LAUD CONGRESS FOR REPEAL OF DEATH PENALTY
the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBPC) lauded the move of Congress to abolish the death penalty, revealed CBCP President and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo.
- JUNE 7, 2006ItalyDEATH PENALTY
HANDS OFF CAIN. HOC WELCOMES THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Hands Off Cain welcomes the news that Philippine law makers voted to abolish the death penalty.
- JUNE 7, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. DEATH CONVICTS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE, SAYS CONGRESS
convicts on death row will be spared lethal injection but will not be eligible for parole, a report of the bicameral conference committee said.
- JUNE 7, 2006QatarDEATH PENALTY
QATAR. FILIPINO SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING COMPATRIOT
a Qatari judge sentenced a Filipino worker to death for the 2004 knife slaying of a compatriot in Doha.
- JUNE 6, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. LEGISLATURE PASSES LAW ABOLISHING DEATH PENALTY
Philippine legislators have passed a bill to abolish capital punishment, and President Gloria Arroyo is likely to sign it into law, officials said. The proposed law abolishing the "heinous crimes" act of 1994 passed without dissent in the Senate late Tue
- JUNE 6, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. PROTESTANT CHURCHES BACK DEATH PENALTY
Protestant churches in the Philippines reaffirmed their support for the implementation of capital punishment. The Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) issued a statement maintaining its position of 1999, espousing the value of "retribution"
- JUNE 1, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. PRESIDENT ARROYO ASKS CONGRESS TO SPEED UP DEATH PENALTY BAN
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo asked leaders of Congress to speed up passage of a bill abolishing capital punishment after imposing a freeze on judicial executions, her chief aide, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, said.
- MAY 30, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. MANILA URGED TO CLAMP DOWN ON EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS
the Philippine president must disband any group found responsible for killing hundreds of left-wing activists and journalists, even if it includes soldiers and police, Amnesty International said.
- MAY 18, 2006Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
SAUDI ARABIA. FILIPINA SAVED FROM BEHEADING
Sarah Dematera, a Filipina convicted of murder in Saudi Arabia, has been saved from execution through the intercession of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and the victim's family has accepted part of a total of 28 million pesos (417,000 EU) in blood mon
- MAY 17, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. HOUSE STARTS DEBATES ON BILL ABOLISHING DEATH PENALTY
the House Representatives began floor debates on the abolition of the death penalty in the country as contained in a bill certified as urgent by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
- MAY 10, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. ARROYO COMMUTES SENTENCE OF 79 CONVICTS
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has commuted to life imprisonment the death sentence of 79 convicts
- MAY 2, 2006RomaniaDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. ROMANIAN HEAD BACKS REPEAL OF DEATH PENALTY
Romanian President Traian Basescu lauded President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for her "Christian courage" when she announced the commutation of all death sentences into life imprisonment.
- APRIL 26, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. 3 COUSINS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KIDNAPPING
three cousins were sentenced to die by lethal injection for abducting a Japanese national in Lanuza town, the Philippines.
- APRIL 24, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. DEATH PENALTY LAW UNCONSTITUTIONAL, CHIEF JUSTICE
moves to abolish the death penalty in the Philippines received a big boost when Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban said the law on capital punishment "as written" was unconstitutional.
- APRIL 18, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. PRESIDENT WOULD SUPPORT BILL TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY
President Gloria Arroyo would support legislation to abolish the death penalty despite widespread public support in the Philippines for judicial executions, her spokesman said.
- APRIL 18, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. MANILA COURT SENTENCED FOUR MEN TO DEATH FOR KIDNAPPING
a court in Manila, the Philippines, sentenced to death four men after finding them guilty of abducting Jocelyn Sy, who was blindfolded and kept for three days in a suburban house in 1997 before her husband paid a ransom for her release.
- APRIL 18, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. SPAIN THANKS ARROYO FOR SAVING CITIZEN ON DEATH ROW
the Government of Spain thanked the Philippines, particularly President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, for saving Francisco Javier Larrañaga Gonzales, also known as Paco Larrañaga, a dual citizen, from death row, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
- APRIL 17, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. FAST-TRACKING OF BILL ABOLISHING DEATH PENALTY URGED
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr., a pro-life advocate, welcomed the decision of President Arroyo to commute the death sentence...
- APRIL 17, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. ARROYO CALLED TO ELIMINATE PHILIPPINE DEATH PENALTY
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo faced calls to permanently abolish capital punishment after she commuted more than 1,000 death sentences just before Easter.
- APRIL 16, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. PRESIDENT COMMUTES ALL DEATH SENTENCES
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo commuted all death sentences to life imprisonment in an Easter gesture slammed by critics as an abuse of power. "I wish to announce that we are changing our policy on those who have been imposed the death pena
- APRIL 5, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. LAWMAKERS APPROVE ANTI-TERRORISM BILL
Philippine lawmakers approved an anti-terrorism bill after libertarian legislators watered it down by blocking the death penalty as punishment for deadly attacks.
- APRIL 4, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
EUROPEAN UNION. EU HAILS PHILIPPINE LEADER'S RESTRAINT ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
the European Union welcomed Philippine President Gloria Arroyo's decision to commute the sentences of dozens of inmates on death row.
- MARCH 23, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. HUMAN RIGHTS AGENCY: POLICE EXECUTED SUSPECTS
the Philippines' human rights commission recommended a criminal investigation for the alleged summary executions of several terror suspects by police assaulting a prison after a botched escape attempt.
- MARCH 6, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. SUPREME COURT REBUKES THE COURT OF APPEALS ON DEATH PENALTY CASE
the Philippine Supreme Court rebuked the Court of Appeals for dismissing an appeal on a death penalty case that the appellate court should have automatically and mandatorily reviewed even though the appeal was abandoned by the death convict.
- MARCH 5, 2006KuwaitDEATH PENALTY
KUWAIT. PHILIPPINE VICE PRESIDENT IN KUWAIT TO APPEAL FOR LIFE OF FILIPINO TEACHER
Philippine Vice-President Noli de Castro went to Kuwait to negotiate for the life of Marilou Ranario, an overseas Filipino worker who was sentenced to death for murdering her employer.
- MARCH 5, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. DEATH SENTENCE ON MAMBURAO 6 `BIASED,’ SAYS FARMER'S WIFE
the decision by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court against a group of farmers known as the “Mamburao 6”, who were convicted, together with a former congressman, of killing the two sons of a local landlord in Mamburao, the Philippines, was “biased,” said
- MARCH 1, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. FORMER CONGRESSMAN AND SIX FARMERS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER
a former congressman and six farmers were sentenced to death in the Philippines for the 1997 killing of two brothers in Mindoro province.
- FEBRUARY 22, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. ARROYO: I'LL WORK TO SCRAP DEATH PENALTY
for the first time since taking office in 2001, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo categorically stated that she was for scrapping capital punishment and that she would see to the immediate passage of legislation to abolish the Death Penalty Law.
- FEBRUARY 22, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. ARROYO CRITIC LAUDS PRESIDENT’S CALL TO SCRAP DEATH PENALTY
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's call to scrap the death penalty in the Philippines gained appreciation even from her critics at the House of Representatives.
- FEBRUARY 15, 2006PhilippinesDEATH PENALTY
THE PHILIPPINES. PRESIDENT COMMUTES 280 DEATH SENTENCES
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo ordered prison authorities to commute the sentences of 280 people on death row to life imprisonment.