MANILA, Philippines — He may be relentless in pushing for the reimposition of the death penalty against big-time drug traffickers, but Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa reiterated that he values and cares for life that he even prays every night no one would get hurt in police operations.
During the hearing of the Senate committee on public order on a bill strengthening drug prevention and control, Dela Rosa blamed the unabated drug problem in the country on a cartel of drug lords that continues to operate even from their prison cells.
He cited the National Bureau of Investigation’s latest revelation that an inmate from the Sablayan Penal Colony in Occidental Mindoro allegedly orchestrated the Feb. 24 “misencounter” between anti-drug operatives of Quezon City police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
“I really care for life. Ako, gabi-gabi, kung pwede lang oras-oras, nagdadasal ako kay Lord, na sana Lord walang taong masasaktan sa lahat ng ginagawang police operations namin, lahat ng ginagawang law enforcement operations, walang masaktan dahil we value life because buhay ‘yan e,” said Dela Rosa, chairman of the committee.
(Every night, if possible every hour, I pray to the Lord that no one would get hurt in police operations because we value life, we’re talking of life here.)
“Pero pagdating naman sa ganong situation, in order to save yung mga innocent lives na magiging biktima nitong droga is sana naman itong buhay ng mga drug lord na ito na wala nang ginawa kung hindi maninira ng buhay, e dapat naman sana’y mabigyan ng death penalty,” he added.
(But when it comes to situations that in order to save innocent lives who could become victims of illegal drugs, I really hope we can impose death penalty against these drug lords.)
But the Commission on Human Rights maintained its position against imposing the capital punishment.
“Again, we maintain that the right to life is applicable to everyone. Hindi po pinipili kung masama tao o hindi. Lahat po may karapatan na mabuhay,” CHR Commissioner Karen Gomez-Dumpit told Dela Rosa.
Dumpit also reiterated that the issue is not about the penalty but the full implementation of the law.
“In your example of the drug lord who was orchestrating all these misencounters, the drug operations, why is he being enabled to do that? He’s already confined in an area, where is the accountability of custodians in that particular example?” she asked.
“If there was an investigation that showed that he was enabled to orchestrate all these misencounters, all the drug operations, then why are the custodians not made accountable?” she added.
But according to Dela Rosa, the fact the convicted drug lord was put in jail only means that the law was enforced.
The problem is when inmates are allowed to receive visitors in jail and use them later to continue their drug operations outside, he pointed out.
Despite its stand against the death penalty, the CHR assured they are one with the government’s efforts to make the Philippines free from illegal drugs.
“But we have to do it with respect for the right to life…” Dumpit stressed.