Mayor Beng weighing whether or not

to support Duterte's death penalty

Zamboanga City reelected Mayor Beng Climaco-Salazar of the Liberal Party (LP) is weighing whether or not she will support the re-imposition of death penalty in the country being pushed by incoming president Rodrigo Duterte for a wide range of crimes, particularly drugs.

"Although the Catholic church is against the death penalty per se always pro-life, what kind of justice must be given to our people will it be death or life imprisonment?" Climaco told reporters in her first press conference Monday at City Hall since the May 9 polls.

"So we will live it up to our justices to the lawmakers to really see what is a very good, corrective measure for the violators of the law," she said.

Citing Filipino citizens who commit crimes in other countries, the mayor said they are meted with death penalty but those foreigners who violate Philippine laws are just deported back to their countries.

"That is why, this (capital punishment) is not strong deterrent particularly for foreign violators of the law to conduct crimes in the Philippines," she added.

Climaco further said personally she does not think that she would be in a capacity to judge for herself as there is always room for the person for corrective measure.

"In that case again without washing my hands as a local chief executive, we will abide by what the product of the law," she said.

Climaco, meantime, said they will strongly support Duterte's proposals on curfew for minors and liquor ban in public places.

"How it is to be translated in the form of the law that will guide all local chief executives and the local government and we will just await the issuance of the law and I believe once it is enacted or once the executive order from president comes out it will always be in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines without violating the rights of the people, we will just abide," she explained.

The camp of Duterte had earlier said the curfew is principally for minors, unescorted minors, past 10 p.m and is does not include minors with their parents or guardians to make sure that the children are in their homes, sleeping already, preparing for the next day in school.

It also made it clear that the liquor ban in Davao City, which prohibits establishments from selling alcohol after 1 a.m., is only in effect in public places. Aside from the curfew and liquor ban, Duterte also imposed a karaoke ban and a no-smoking policy in public areas in Davao city.