President Rodrigo Duterte’s wish to put five to six malefactors to death every day, or more than 2,000 every year, once granted by Congress, would sink the Philippines into “an unprecedented era of darkness and medieval savagery,” House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza warned on Monday.

“If the President had his way, our predominantly Catholic country could go down as the world’s new top executioner, ahead of non-Catholic countries such as China, Iran and Pakistan,” Atienza said.