While no time is right and ripe for pushing for the reimposition of the death penalty, now is the worst of times to enact the revival of capital punishment when scalawag cops are the felons and rogues in robes preside over the life or death of citizens.

In an unprecedented move, President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the crackdown of errant police elements and the dismantling of anti-narcotics groups, including Oplan “Tokhang”, in the wake of the police murder of Korean Jee Ick-Joo.

On the other hand, no less than Supreme Court Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno has revealed that between 2012 to 2016, 16 judges and one Sandiganbayan justice were dismissed for acts unbecoming of officers in the judiciary. She added that in the same period the Supreme Court suspended 14 judges, fined 101, reprimanded 21 and admonished 31.

The High Court also dismissed 116 court employees, admonished 42, forfeited benefits of 31, censured 3, fined 240, reprimanded 221, and suspended 227 since 2010.

Justice is not only delayed but also wantonly waylaid, due to the flawed, inept and corrupt police, prosecutorial and judicial systems.

We must put the death penalty bill in the backburner while we address and implement much delayed reforms in the police and justice systems.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN

The dismantling of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) including Oplan “Tokhang” at the behest of President Rodrigo Duterte in the wake of the police murder of Korean Jee Ick-joo is a blessing.

This halts the extrajudicial killings of drug suspects while the ranks of the Philippine National Police (PNP) are cleansed of scalawags.

For the first time in six months there are no reports today of drug-related killings.

The drug problem has been magnified to hyperbolic proportions by the erstwhile deadly campaign against the “drug menace” as the rule of law had been supplanted by the barrel of the gun.

There should be no more kids gloves for police scalawags who deserve an iron fist.

The Duterte administration must rid police service of felons in uniform.

The investigations must lead to the prosecution and conviction of errant police elements once warranted.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN

The Constitution does not envision hypothetical situations, and only the actuality of an invasion or rebellion can justify the imposition of martial law when public safety requires it.

The declaration of martial law can be revoked by Congress and invalidated by the Supreme Court.

The limitations mandated by the Constitution on the declaration of martial law are to foreclose contrived and abusive reasons rationalizing authoritarian rule.

The Solicitor General must not inveigle the President to violate the Constitution by suggesting that extreme hypothetical situations can warrant the imposition of martial law outside the restrictive parameters of the Constitution.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN

President Duterte himself must state that he does not intend to declare martial law outside the parameters and restrictions of the Constitution, instead of his subalterns making the clarifications who could misread the President’s mindset.

Both Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre and Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo maintain that Duterte will not impose martial law.

However, neither Aguirre nor Panelo were consulted by the President before he declared his latest resolve to impose martial law at all costs if the drug problem becomes virulent.

The after-the-fact clarifications of Duterte’s men are meant to minimize and deodorize the adverse impact of the President’s outbursts, but cannot obliterate the perilous import of his categorical pronouncement.

EDCEL C. LAGMAN