Arrested drug suspects, including 3 Chinese, are presented at National Bureau of Investigation to reporters, together with nearly one metric ton of seized methamphetamine on Tuesday, December 27, 2016. (File photo from AP/Aaron Favila)
MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers on Monday called for the reimposition of the death penalty on drug suspects caught in the country.
The proposal comes, after Chinese authorities executed two Filipinos found guilty of drug-related cases.
Surigao del Norte 2nd District Representative Robert Ace Barbers stresed Filipinos are being executed for drug cases abroad, yet Philippines does not impose harsh penalties on individuals convicted of these crimes.
“Our kababayans convicted in foreign lands for drug trafficking are almost always executed, while we extend kid gloves treatment, if not VIP treatment, to foreigners, especially Chinese nationals who are apprehended and convicted of the same offense here,” Barbers said.
The lawmaker is the chairperson of House committee dangerous drugs.
“There should be a similar punishment imposed on these foreign nationals, as well as fellow Filipinos, who introduce drugs into the country,” he said.
“If other countries treat illegal drugs as a threat to their citizenry and the whole society, why are we so soft in treating this menace in our own territory?” he asked.
According to Barbers, both House and Senate should look at proposals to reimpose capital punishment on drug-related cases.
In July 2022, Barbers filed House Bill (HB) No. 1543, which imposes death penalty on certain heinous crimes.
The bill states a foreigner convicted of a drug offense by a local court will get death penalty if such a crime is punishable by capital punishment in the foreigner’s home country.
“China was firm in executing Filipinos, yet we are being flooded with tons and tons of illegal drugs, especially shabu, from China,” Barbers compared the two situations.
“It is a wonder that while China was very, very hard on drug trafficking, the drugs that come to our shores originate from its ports,” he pointed out.
“Yet, we have yet to see one Chinese convict being executed to deter others from committing such heinous crime,” he lamented.
Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez said if China can do it, government should do the same for Chinese convicted drug suspects in the Philippines.
In July 2022, Rodriguez filed a measure to impose death penalty on foreigners found guilty of transporting drugs.
“If they put our compatriots to death for violations connected to illegal drugs, let us do the same to their nationals, many of whom are caught manufacturing, peddling or smuggling drugs into the country,” Rodriguez recommended.
On Saturday, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed two Filipino were executed in China on November 24 for drug trafficking.
Out of respect for their privacy, DFA withheld their identities and delayed the announcement until it received formal notification of their execution from Chinese authorities.
The Filipinos were arrested in 2013 and convicted in 2016.