Manny Paquiao and the Death Penalty

Philippine boxing icon and neophyte senator Manny Paquiao recently delivered a privilege speech before the senate, advocating for the return of the death penalty. In the speech he uses many references to the Bible to support his argument. I find this interesting in conjunction with our Rudnyckyj reading in which Islam is used with neoliberal capitalist principles to motivate and change employee behavior. In this article however, religion is used not for an economic purpose, but for a political one, in order to push a specific policy. The article exemplifies the blurred line between politics, entertainment, and religion in the Philippines, neatly exemplified in the persona of a boxing-star-turned-senator using Bible quotations in legislative argument.

Interesting to note is that this proposal was made in aid of President Duterte's war on drugs, so that the state can have a greater arsenal of tools to punish drug related crime. Hence religion seems to be playing a role in shaping the powers of the state. An opposing religious force would be the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, representing a religion of which nearly 80% of Filipinos are part. Their view is more temperate, condemning the now over 3,000 extrajudicial killings that have taken place since Duterte took office (see source 2 below). The role of religion in the Philippine political sphere cannot be denied, and is prominently manifest in one of the central issues facing the country today.

Link to article: http://www.rappler.com/nation/142371-senator-manny-pacquiao-first-privil...

2. http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=cbcp&8217s-...