MANILA, Philipppines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s push for the revival of the death penalty for drug-related crimes will “boost” its chances of approval in Congress, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said on Monday.
During his penultimate State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa, Duterte called anew for the reimposition of capital punishment for crimes involving illegal drugs.
“I’m happy that he appealed to Congress for the passage of the death penalty law for drug trafficking because my death penalty bill has been languishing at the referred committee for one year already without actions taken,” Dela Rosa said in a message to reporters.
“It’s not moving. So the President’s appeal to Congress will give this law a big boost,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino in an interview over CNN Philippines.
Dela Rosa also believes Filipino voters will support the return of capital punishment for drug-related crimes, citing his win during the 2019 elections.
“I ran for senator with no other platform but the reimposition of the death penalty for drug trafficking, and I our countrymen made me win. I was number five in the elections with only one platform,” he said.
“So that means that the Filipino people really want to revive the death penalty for drug trafficking. Not all heinous crimes will be covered,” he added.
In the 17th Congress, the House of Representatives gave its nod to House Bill No. 4727 seeking to reimpose capital punishment for heinous and drug-related offenses, but it did not prosper in the Senate.
In the 18th Congress, several bills seeking the revival of the death penalty are now pending at the committee level in the Senate.
/atm