Capital Punishment in The Philippines - 1946 To 1986

1946 To 1986

The capital crimes after regaining full independence were murder, rape and treason. A well-publicised triple execution took place in May 1972, when Jaime Jose, Basilio Pineda, and Edgardo Aquino were electrocuted for the 1967 abduction and gang-rape of the young actress Maggie dela Riva. Firing squad was also allowed for some cases.

Under the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos, drug trafficking became punishable with death by firing squad. A notable execution was that of drug-trafficker Lim Seng, whose death was broadcast on national television.

Electrocution was used until 1976, when execution by firing squad eventually became the sole method of executions. During the Marcos regime, however, countless more people were summarily executed, tortured, or simply disappeared for opposition to his rule.

After Marcos was deposed in 1986, the newly-drafted Constitution prohibited the death penalty except for certain crimes. This meant, in effect, that it was abolished totally and made Philippines the first Asian country to do so. The 1987 Constitution is the version currently in force.