The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines - Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care (CBCP-ECPPC) has expressed readiness to dialogue with legislators to explore ways and means to improve the country's criminal justice system and how to treat persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

CBCP-ECPPC chairman and Legazpi Bishop Joel Baylon said this while reiterating their opposition to the revival of death penalty in the country.

Instead of the re-imposition of the death penalty, the CBCP-ECPPC called on Congress to formulate laws and effectively implement existing ones aimed at modernizing and reforming the judicial and correctional systems to make it more restorative and rehabilitative, rather than punitive. 

"This will enable our convicted PDLs to be truly reformed and, after they have served time, be ready to return to the mainstream of society," Baylon said in the Stand for Life statement dated August 5.

The commission also urged Congress to stop graft and corruption in various institutions that manage jails and penitentiaries "so that the basic human rights of PDLs are respected, their legitimate demands properly heard and their needs adequately responded to."The CBCP-ECPPC then reiterated the reasons why they are strongly opposed to the re-imposition of capital punishment.

According to Baylon, death penalty violates the inherent dignity of a person, adding "no person, no matter how evil he is perceived to be, is beyond reformation."

He said there is also no direct evidence to prove that the death penalty deters crime.

Death penalty, Baylon said, is also tilted against the most vulnerable sectors of society, the marginalized and the poor. 

He said true justice is restorative, never merely punitive as it gives the person the chance to change, no matter how slim the chance may be.

The House Committee on Justice on Wednesday revived the hearings on death penalty bills weeks after President Duterte called for its re-imposition.