The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines...

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines raised alarms over plans by President Macapagal-Arroyo to "re-activate" the execution of convicts.
An official of the CBCP's Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care said in a statement the bishops were concerned about the President's declaration that she was willing to "use all weapons" to fight crime, especially kidnappings.
"This is disturbing because it strongly implies that the present dispensation is running berserk in finding a solution to the nation's peace problems," ECPPC Executive Secretary Rodolfo Diamante said. "Since when has the taking away of life become a weapon?"
The President had told Palace reporters in a dinner on July 5 the death penalty was a legal weapon that should be employed by the state to address the problem of rising criminality.
The President also indicated she was not inclined to stop the execution of two convicts in August.
The Supreme Court recently affirmed the death sentence on convicted rapist Alfredo Nardo and ordered his execution by lethal injection on October 16. Only a presidential pardon can save death row convicts.
The CBCP said life was a sacred gift and "no person, no society, no state has the right to take it away," adding the government should look instead at the root causes of crime.
The Philippines broke a 23-year moratorium on judicial executions in 1999, when seven convicts were put to death.