The Philippines House of Representatives was urged...

The Philippines House of Representatives was urged to look into reports that the death penalty has emboldened an increasing number of rapists to cover up their crime by killing their victims.
Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago wants the House to look into allegations that capital punishment has been discouraging many victims of incestuous rape from pursuing charges.
A coalition of women's groups based in Cebu alleged that many girls raped by their fathers have become reluctant to press charges because of the death penalty.
The group claimed that a victim of incestuous rape is likely to hesitate filing a criminal complaint because of fears that she may suffer further trauma for becoming the cause of her father's death by lethal injection. The trauma becomes more difficult if the father happens to be the sole breadwinner in a poor family, according to the Cebu Women's Network.
Santiago expressed concern over reports alleging that brutal killings in rape cases have increased because of capital punishment.
Critics of the death penalty have claimed that with the death penalty in place, more rapists have been slaying their victims, who more often than not, are the only witness to the crime.
"These are very grave concerns that should not be taken lightly-that we must look," Santiago said.
Santiago is one of 62 House members who co-authored the bill seeking to abolish the death penalty in favour of a harsher form of life imprisonment.