Philippine President Macapagal-Arroyo is still against capital punishment even as moves to reimpose the death penalty gained support in Congress

Philippine President Macapagal-Arroyo is still against capital punishment even as moves to reimpose the death penalty gained support in Congress amid the public furor over the bribery-tainted dismissal of drug charges against three young men from influential families. “The President has always stood by the stand of the Church, which is against the imposition of the death penalty,’’ said Secretary Cerge Remonde. But Macapagal was not closing its door on public debates to revive the death penalty to deal with big-time drug traffickers, said Remonde, head of the Presidential Management Staff. “We will listen to the discussions if this is tackled in the appropriate forum. However, there are those who still believe that the death penalty is not the answer to heinous crimes, such as drug trafficking,’’ he said.