Message from the Commissioner Roberto Eugenio T. Cadiz The Constitution commandsusto uphold thedignity of all Filipinos. This is a duty that we mustobserve, regardless ofthe political environment obtaining in the country. The death penalty is a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishmentthatgoes against the very notion of humandignity. Beyond anycavil of doubt, it is a humanrights issue, and not a political one. It is our bounden duty to remindlegislators that, in deciding on whether this must be imposedornot, their decision mustnot yield to political pressure, nor rest onthedictatesofpolitical interest. Ourflawedpillars of justice do not encourage the imposition of death penalty; nay, it severely warns us about imposingit. The poor, especially, are at risk of being meted out this penalty, not because they are guilty, but because they do not have the resources to properly defend themselves. The Philippines is a signatory to anti-death penalty treaties, specifically the Second Optional Protocolto the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights. We must uphold our obligations underthesetreaties. The Commission hasbeenfirm andconsistentin its opposition to the death penalty. This compilation of issuances proceeds from that commitmentandis an excellent resource on whythe death penalty must notbe re-imposed. xii