Sotto: Revival of death penalty can garner more than 13 votes in Senate, if…

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Thursday said the proposed reimposition of the death penalty could get more than 13 votes at the Senate already if the measure would only cover high-level drug trafficking.

Sotto, who recently assumed Senate leadership, said the measure has more chance at the chamber if it aims to stop high-level drug trafficking.

“Ang tingin ko may pagasa kaming makakuha ng mahigit 13 boto kung ang pag-uusapan lang ay yung high-level drug trafficking lamang,” Sotto told reporters.

(For me, we have a fair chance of getting 13 votes if we would only talk about high-level drug trafficking.)

Reacting to the call from the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) for the reimposition of capital punishment for heinous crimes, Sotto said the crimes to be covered by the death penalty should be well defined.

“Kung ang pag-uusapan natin ay ibalik ang death penalty for high-level drug trafficking, payag ako,” the senator said. “Kasi yung ibang krimen na binabanggit nila ay may remedy as far as the prosecution is concerned,” Sotto said.

(If we would be talking about reimposing death penalty for high-level drug trafficking, I would agree. Because the other crimes they mentioned already have a remedy as far as the prosecution is concerned.) /muf

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