Drugs also a ‘pandemic:’ Bato, Pangilinan argue over death penalty revival

Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan (INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS)

MANILA, Philippines — Stressing that the drug problem is also a “global pandemic,” Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said the Senate can “multitask” and deliberate on measures seeking the return of the death penalty even in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis.

In a privilege speech during Wednesday’s plenary session, Dela Rosa called on his colleagues in the Senate to start discussions on death penalty bills pending in the upper chamber following President Rodrigo Duterte’s renewed push for its passage.

During his penultimate State of the Nation Address, the President urged lawmakers to pass a law that would revive the death penalty for crimes involving illegal drugs.

But opposition Senator Francis Pangilinan questioned the timing of seeking legislative discussions on the reimposition of capital punishment when millions of Filipinos are losing their jobs or going hungry.

Pangilinan asked Dela Rosa if reviving the death penalty would help struggling Filipinos cope with the impact of the pandemic.

In response, Dela Rosa said the pandemic should not hinder the Senate in accomplishing its mandate to legislate bills “pertaining to other pressing issues.”

“Totoo. Tayo ay may kinakaharap ngayon na pandemic na COVID-19 but itong aking issue na nire-raise ngayon, this is also considered as a global pandemic, itong drug problem,” Dela Rosa, the first enforcer of Duterte’s brutal drug war, said.

(It’s true. We are currently facing a pandemic but this issue that I’m raising, this is also considered as a global pandemic, the drug problem.)

“Sorry to disagree with you…Hindi po ako sangayon na hihinto ang pag-ikot ng Senado dahil sa COVID-19. Multi-tasking po tayo. Hindi naman siguro ibig sabihin na porque tayo ay may hinaharap na global pademic na COVID-19, hihinto na lang tayo sa pag-gawa ng ibang batas para sa ibang issues na kinakaharap ng ating lipunan,” he added.

(Sorry to disagree with you…I don’t agree that COVID-19 should stop the Senate from delivering on its legislative functions. We can multi-task. It doesn’t mean that because we are facing this pandemic that we will stop from legislating bills pertaining to other issues in our society.)

Dela Rosa also called out Pangilinan on the latter’s “no” vote on the proposed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, saying that he should have voted in favor of the bill if he really wanted to push for measures that will help the country respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

On Tuesday, the Senate approved the said measure on third and final reading. Twenty-two senators voted in favor of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act while Pangilinan was the lone dissenter.

“Kung gusto mo talaga na matulungan yung ating mga kababayan para makabangon dito sa pandemyang ating kinakaharap, sana tayo lahat ay bumoto doon sa Bayanihan 2 na yun dahil yun talaga ang purpose ng Bayanihan 2 na yun, para makabangon ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas,” Dela Rosa told the opposition lawmaker.

(If you really wanted to push for the recovery of our fellow Filipinos and the nation from this pandemic, then we should all have voted for the Bayanihan 2 because the purpose of that bill is to help the country’s economy recover.)

Pangilinan, however, opted not to issue a lengthy response to the neophyte senator. He said he already explained why he voted against the measure.

He then went on to ask Dela Rosa if the administration’s priority remains to be the death penalty revival despite the pandemic currently gripping the country.

But Dela Rosa acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic response should still come first.

“Number one priority pa rin natin ang COVID-19. Kung sa akin, baka second na lang itong death penalty bill na ito,” the neophyte senator said.

(COVID-19 is still our number one priority. For me, I think the death penalty bill would come in second.)

Still, Dela Rosa insisted that the pandemic should not “preclude” the Senate from tackling bills regarding other issues.

“Itong ating Senado naman ay pwedeng multi-tasking. Hindi naman ibig sabihin na stuck tayo sa ibang gagawin. Focus tayo sa COVID-19. Gumawa na nga tayo ng batas Bayanihan 1, Bayanihan 2,” he said.

(The Senate can multi-task. This doesn’t mean that we will be distracted by other things. We will focus on COVID-19. We even passed Bayanihan 2.)

“What more can we ask from the Senate? Ginagawa na natin ‘yun [We already legislated that measure],” he added.

Capital punishment in the Philippines was abolished in 2016 under then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

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.

READ: Death penalty House bills filed prior to Duterte’s SONA appeal

Currently, several bills seeking the revival of the death penalty remain pending at the Senate committee level.

Other senators have earlier expressed opposition to the return of the death penalty without needed reforms in the country’s justice system.

“Without the needed reforms in our justice system, the innocent poor with scant resources to wage a decent defense in court will be the ones at risk in any attempt to revive the death penalty in the country,” Senator Grace Poe said in a previous statement.

Senator Richard Gordon, meanwhile, said it would not be easy to approve the revival of capital punishment since the Philippines is part of an international treaty, which bars signatory countries from imposing the death penalty.

KGA