PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / JAM STA. ROSA
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Aaron Aquino said Tuesday that heinous crimes, like rape, fueled by illegal drugs deserve death penalty, as pushed by President Rodrigo Duterte in his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona).
Aquino, who has been supporting the call for imposing capital punishment, reiterated that the death penalty will serve as a strong deterrent against crimes related to drugs.
“Foreign and local drug offenders, especially drug protectors and coddlers who were found guilty of manufacturing, trafficking, and pushing of dangerous drugs, warrant the capital punishment,” he said in a statement.
READ: PDEA chief says death penalty will deter international drug syndicates
“Offenders of heinous crimes fueled by illegal drugs, like rape, also deserve the state-sanctioned execution,” he added.
According to Aquino, death penalty and not mere life imprisonment should be imposed on international and local drug traffickers for authorities to send a strong message that they should not turn the country into a business hub for drugs.
He said these criminals tend to “capitalize” on the country’s laws where the maximum penalty is “less harsh.”
He added that the more uncompromising and tough the law is, the harder it is to break.
Aquino also cited reports that several convicted drug lords are still involved in the illegal drug trade.
Aside from heinous crimes related to drugs, Duterte also called for capital punishment for those guilty of plunder.
READ: Duterte renews push for death penalty on drug-related crimes
“Illegal drugs, criminality and corruption are social menaces that go hand in hand. Get rid of one problem, the other two can no longer survive,” Aquino said.
“If you have done something evil, you have to pay. We are not promoting a cycle of violence. However, it is morally justified in imposing death penalty to people who seek to destroy the lives of the Filipinos, most especially our youth,” he said. /je