History and Status:

The NPM Bill proposed by the United Against Torture Coalition (UATC) and supported by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) was approved by the Committee on Human Rights in the House of Representatives but did not reach the plenary before the 16th Congress ended on June 30,  2016.  The Senate version of the bill was discussed at the Committee of Justice and Human Rights twice at the instigation of the UATC.

1. 1.      National context 

• The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines prohibits the use of the death penalty by stating ‘the death penalty shall not be imposed unless for compelling reasons involving heinous crimes, the Congress hereafter provides for it.  Any death penalty already imposed shall be reduced to reclusion perpetua’.[1]

 

Balay stands alongside martial law victims and activists against the burial of the late president Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LnMB). The LnMB is a national shrine meant to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives and brought honor to our country. It is meant to be the final resting place of dignified soldiers, heroes and martyrs. The burial of Ferdinand Marcos will defeat the very essence of LnMB.