We gather here today to complete the process of restoring the death penalty in our criminal justice system that began 17 months ago upon the convening of the 9th Congress.

Within the House of Representatives and the Senate, Republic Act 7659, the Death Penalty Law, has been fully debated, refined and approved by our people’s elected representatives. It is now my part to sign it into law.

None of us can miss the significance of this moment. Six years ago, we promulgated a Constitution that abolished the death penalty and enjoined Congress from reimposing the same unless there were compelling reasons to do so involving heinous crimes.

In passing that provision in the fundamental law of the land, our charter framers sought to give substance to the view that the criminal law’s main objective should not be retribution, but the reform and rehabilitation of offenders. They sought to reflect, not the indignation of society, but its compassion — even for those who violate its cherished values.

In reexamining this provision of our constitution, we do not reject its spirit. We only say that there are now compelling reasons for restoring capital punishment with respect to crimes which our people and our government consider so heinous or so inhuman that the ultimate penalty must be imposed.

For the past six years, our society and our criminal justice system have been placed under severe stress by violent crimes. Public sensibilities have been lacerated by acts of great cruelty and heartlessness — ranging from crimes of rape to murder, from drug trafficking to economic sabotage, from kidnapping for ransom to the wholesale massacre of families. We have listened to the louder and louder demands of our citizenry for a tougher stand against crimes and stiffer penalties for criminal offenders.

This Republic Act is the measure of our response in law. By this we recognize that our society cannot stop violent and heinous crimes by simply trying to humanize criminals in our midst. The law must also deter and punish to the maximum — for compelling reasons.

All over the world today, many societies — including the most advanced — are under siege from violent crimes, and their governments are reexamining both their laws and their methods of containing and fighting such acts against society. They have had to recognize that while there is need for therapy for criminals, there must be also punishment. Society must punish to serve justice and give people — both the offenders and their victims — what they deserve.

The actions of our legislature and the executive are consonant with this contemporary trend.

This new law is entitled “An Act to Impose Death Penalty on Certain Heinous Crimes, Amending for the Purpose the Revised Penal Code as Amended, Other Special Laws, and for Other Purposes.”

With this new law, we can now more effectively utilize the criminal justice system to protect our citizenry and our society from the most heinous offenders of our laws.

In the last analysis, what a nation does about heinous crimes against persons and society is an expression of the vigor of its values.

By drawing this line against heinous crimes, our people are saying, that we will not live in a society that cannot defend itself against crime, that will not make clear distinctions between the innocent and the criminal, that will not punish the guilty.

What value can we put on the harm to the country and the economy, the loss of faith of others in our society, that such violent crimes have cost us, if we have no resolve to root them out?

This act renews our commitment to a truly civil, moral, law-abiding and humane society. Now we must do all to apply it with purpose and justice.

This act is the product of the collaboration of many sectors of our society — of the government and the people working together. We in this administration pledge today that we will do our utmost, not just to uphold the spirit of this law but also to press forward our fight against crime — for the safety of our streets, our homes and the persons of every man, woman and child living in this country.

We can carry this fight to a successful conclusion because our people and our government today are joined as never before in this struggle against crime.

As we vowed at the start of our administration, we will measure our success only by results. We promised no quick fixes, only our unflagging resolve to press on the fight until it is won. We knew that disbanding private armies and stopping criminals would not be easy. But we will complete what we have started.

With our people’s support, and with the hand of providence guiding our labors, we will surely build a safer and more peaceful society in our land.

Maraming salamat po!