SSometime ago members of the major religious congregations expressed alarm over the continued killings of political activists, journalists and church workers. Political leaders, those suspected of leftist leanings and journalists exposing venalities of the powerful had been killed. There had been accusations that the activists were terminated by army intelligence. The intelligence arm however accused the leftists of eliminating their recalcitrant comrades.

The journalists were silenced by hired guns. Corrupt officials would never be caught with bloodied hands. There were few solved crimes but masterminds have not been apprehended. A few church workers had been killed, however they had been working not in the vineyards of the Lord but in the fields where they are not supposed to be. Not only that. Those crimes are only the top of the proverbial iceberg. People had been killed during robberies, holdups and kidnappings. Still, there are also senseless killings. Karaoke bars and back streets are often the scenes of those crimes.

The best crime deterrent is early apprehension and swift retribution. However, early apprehension depends upon good police work. Only a few policemen have enough training in gathering and handling evidence. Ordinary police officers seldom know how to guard crime scenes so experts could be able to investigate and gather undisturbed evidence. They can seldom lift fingerprints much less match them with the owners. Forensic laboratories are out of their reach.

Even if there is enough political will to follow the law, conviction is seldom assured even in strong cases. Cases wholly relying upon circumstantial evidence seldom prosper in court. A good lawyer could easily confuse the issue; he can raise questions on the veracity and accuracy of testimonies. Even procedural violations could be invoked to weaken the case. Suspects are freed because of lack of evidence or poor preparation.

Conviction comes only after a long and arduous trial. If the sentence is death, the case immediately goes to the Supreme Court for review. The Supreme Court affirms the sentence, imposes a lighter one or remands the case back to the court that made the judgment for review. This means that the rights of the accused is given all due consideration. If a capital punishment is affirmed, this means according to law, the accused has forfeited his right to live because of his crime against society.

Those groups who had applauded loudest when the death penalty was scrapped are now expressing apprehension. Capital punishment is not a crime deterrent, they say. What then will be? There are people who cannot cope with the problems of daily existence and deliberately commit crimes so they may have three meals a day and a roof over their heads. Those may be rehabilitated. But those who are criminally minded, human predators who prey upon ordinary citizens must be eliminated.

There are those who cannot be allowed to go back to the mainstream. They are dangerous to themselves as well as the rest of mankind. If they may be freed, they will corrupt impressionable minds thus compounding the problems of law and order. If we confine them indefinitely, expenses for their maintenance will rise because of their growing numbers. Ordinary taxpayers will shoulder this additional burden.