MANILA, Philippines — The passage of the proposed death penalty for high level drug trafficking is now possible with the entry of new senators supporting the measure, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said on Thursday.
“It’s a possibility now because nadagdag nga ‘yung pro-death penalty,” Sotto said at the regular Kapihan sa Senado.
“Pero sino bomoto sa kanila? ‘Yung mga tao. Dinba alam nila ‘yung mga pro-death at hindi?”
The Senate leader, though, noted that the measure is not a Palace bill, saying he filed it in Congress even without the egging of Malacañang.
In fact, Sotto said he already agreed that the death penalty is no longer needed.
“Ako payag na ako dun sa ‘wag penalty e because nakita ko rin e. You could say that I’ve seen the light. Payag na talaga ako na huwag ‘yung death penalty.”
“But for high level drug trafficking, it has to be there,” Sotto said.
The death penalty, he said, is the government’s “defense mechanism against high level drug traffickers and drug lords.”
Sotto, though, warned that the measure would lose in the Senate if it would be expanded to cover other crimes.
“Talo na ‘yun. Talo na sa amin ‘pag in-expand. Mahihirapan. ‘Di namin makukumbinsi ‘yung iba e,” he said.
In the present composition of the Senate, Sotto said, the measure would not be approved if it would cover other crimes other than high level drug trafficking.
“In the new Senate, there’s a possibility of 13 for high level drug tafficking alone kasi oras na hinaluan mo ng iba na pwede naman talagang punishable by reclusion perpetua, e may mga dalawa o tatlo akong alam na aatras, hindi na susuporta e. Bawas na rin kami, wala na rin. We will never get the 13,” Sotto added. (Editor: Julie Espinosa)