THE death penalty can help protect the Philippines from illegal drug traffickers, according to a lawmaker.
Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III had filed a bill to restore capital punishment, aiming to destroy illegal drug syndicates operating in the country.
“In the issue of high-level drug trafficking, it (death penalty) will always be a sword of Damocles and it will prevent the manufacturers to use the Philippines, not only as transshipment point, but (as) a manufacturing area,” he told reporters during his visit at the Police Regional Office 7 in Cebu City yesterday.
The government has declared December as Drug Abuse Prevention and Control month.
He said drug traders avoid China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia because these countries have the death penalty.
“Dito sa Pilipinas wala (There’s none here). So, we are being used as the center kasi kung mahuli sila rito, okey lang (because if they’re arrested here, it’s okey),” said Sotto.
Amending the law
“Therefore if we have that sword of Damocles over them, it will be a different story. We will not be the favorite transshipment point, we will not be the favorite crossroad of drug trafficking in Asia,” he added.
The senator hopes the Church and human rights groups won’t pose much opposition since the death penalty will only be implemented against high-level drug traffickers, or those who can dispose of five kilos of shabu per week.
Sotto is also in favor of amending the anti-wiretapping law and giving law enforcers—police, National Bureau of Investigation, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency—the power to tap communication gadgets of suspected narcotics dealers.
“Yung (Our) anti-wiretapping kasi natin (law) is outdated,” he said. “So, we have to update it. Of course, with the proper safeguards… Imagine, if we were able to wiretap all the transactions being done at the National Bilibid Prison, di ba?” he said.
Rapping foreign media
Sotto said the national budget next year, if approved, will give P2.5 billion to President Rodrigo Duterte’s intelligence funds and the money will be used in the fight against illegal drugs.
“Hindi po kasama dun ang extrajudicial killings (are not included),” he said.
The legislator slammed the international media for portraying Duterte’s administration’s campaign against drugs in a bad light.
“As of this week, there are 36,000 drug operations in the entire country by the PNP and PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency). More than 37,000 cases filed and more than 37,000 persons arrested. Those who died because they fought the police were only less than 2,000. In the last count, 1,500 plus lang. Less than five percent ang lumalaban kaya napapatay (fought back so they were killed),” he said.
Sotto said he wants the Department of Interior and Local Government to activate the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Badac) to fight illegal drugs at the grassroots level.
He said enforcers are putting “heavy focus” on the five big regions—National Capital Region; Regions 7, 6, 8; and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao—in the fight against drugs.