Which law prohibits the death penalty in the Philippines?

The law that prohibits the death penalty in the Philippines is Republic Act No. 9346. This legislation, enacted in 2006, effectively abolished the death penalty, replacing it with life imprisonment for certain heinous crimes. The move to abolish the death penalty was rooted in various factors, including human rights considerations, the possibility of wrongful convictions, and a broader shift towards rehabilitation rather than retribution in criminal justice.

The other laws listed do not pertain to the abolishment of the death penalty. R.A. 7859, for example, focuses on the legal framework for the use of firearms and ammunition, while R.A. 8242 pertains to the protection and welfare of children and does not address capital punishment. R.A. 9189 involves overseas voting for Filipinos and is unrelated to criminal law or penalties. This distinction reinforces the significance of R.A. 9346 in the context of the Philippines' approach to capital punishment and aligns with broader international trends favoring the elimination of the death penalty.