Participants in the anti-kidnapping summit held in...

Participants in the anti-kidnapping summit held in Manila on July 9 recommended the reimposition of the death penalty and freezing the assets of kidnap victim's families.
The two measures were among the more controversial recommendations raised during the summit.
"One problem is the moratorium on the death penalty. The moratorium should be lifted to discourage kidnap gangs from continuing to ply their trade. It's the only way kidnappers can be discouraged," North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Pinol said.
Another problem, he added, was the tendency of some families to insist on paying ransom, frustrating the government's no-ransom policy.
The only way to counter this, he said, would be to come up with a law that would effectively freeze the assets of kidnap victims to prevent ransom payment.
"We don't know if the victims would agree to it," he said.