PNP:  Death penalty for drugs, plunder will be a ‘game changer’

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde on Tuesday said the PNP fully supports the imposition of the death penalty on select cases involving illegal drugs and corruption.

Albayalde said he “firmly believes” that the certainty of punishment will be a “game changer” in the government’s campaign against the drug trade, corruption, and heinous crimes.

“The PNP fully supports the legislative agenda of the national government for effective legislation that will add more teeth to the crusade against crime, drugs and corruption, particularly by imposing capital punishment for drug-related [and] heinous crime and plunder, among others,” he said in a press briefing at Camp Crame.

In previous interviews, Albayalde said the death penalty can only be restored if the country’s justice system will be flawless. He was quoted as saying in a radio interview last March that the justice system here is still “not perfect.”

In explaining his new position, Albayalde said the state of the country’s justice system will be carefully studied by Congress before capital punishment, which was abolished in 2006, is reinstated.

“I am sure the Congress will not impose it na parang ganun ganun lang ‘yan (just like that). That will be part of our recommendation also,” he said.

Albayalde said the PNP’s support was “in response to the Sona of the President,” referring to President Rodrigo Duterte’s renewal of call during his fourth State of the Nation Address on Monday that the death penalty should be imposed for drug-related crimes and plunder.

READ: Duterte renews push for death penalty on drug-related crimes

According to Albayalde, offenders of drug-related crimes that he wants punished with death penalty are traffickers of large volume of illegal drugs, and those who maintain and finance drug dens and laboratories.

Despite supporting Duterte’s call, Albayalde said courts should make sure that only those guilty are convicted and prevent the deaths of those who are innocent.

“Yun yung stand natin, but we support [death penalty] of course. But we are not without fault, even the PNP for that matter,” he said. /muf