Koko Pimentel: Let’s study deterrent effect of death penalty

Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III wants the country’s antidrug agency to study whether the imposition of the death penalty, which was suspended in 2006, had a deterrent effect on the activities of big time drug traffickers, to determine whether there is a need to reimpose capital punishment for certain crimes.

But Sen. Vicente Sotto III has called for its reimposition, at least for “high-level” drug traffickers, arguing that life imprisonment has been enough of a threat for them to stop their illegal activities.

Pimentel told the Inquirer in a phone interview that he had requested the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to study whether the death penalty had led to an observable drop in the number of illegal drug activities, here or in other countries.

There was no such data that could help policy makers, said Pimentel, chair of the Senate justice committee that spearheads the inquiry on Sotto’s proposal. Leila B. Salaverria