Drilon open to debates for revival of death penalty

MANILA, Philippines - Amid a spate of crimes many of which remain unsolved, Senate President Franklin Drilon said yesterday he is open to reopening debates on calls for the revival of the death penalty.

“In my opinion, we can put this up for debate,” Drilon said.

The Senate president said it would be good to find out if the impunity displayed by criminals is due to the absence of the death penalty.

He said also that there is a need to find out if the Philippine National Police has sufficient budget to perform its job of protecting the people and responding to crimes.

He said they would also have to hear again the arguments raised by lawmakers, particularly Sen. Vicente Sotto III, in favor of the death penalty.

Sotto has been pushing for the revival of the death penalty for heinous crimes and drug trafficking.

Last January, Sotto filed Senate Bill 2080 proposing the re-imposition of the death penalty for heinous crimes specified under Republic Act 7659 or the now repealed Death Penalty Law.

“I stand once more advocating the return of the death penalty for certain heinous crimes like murder, rape and drug trafficking,” Sotto said in a privilege speech delivered yesterday.

“These past many years without a death penalty, we have become a virtual wild, wild west in these eastern islands. Whether it be murder, rape, drug manufacturing, pushing and using, the numbers are on the rise. Criminals have more fun in the Philippines,” he said.

Sotto said criminals in the country appear to be no longer in fear of getting punished.

“The influx of heinous crimes committed poses an alarming situation in the country nowadays. The indiscriminate and horrendous brutality happening everywhere compelled me to file Senate Bill No. 2080 or an Act Imposing Death Penalty in the Philippines,” he added.

In his speech, Sotto asked his colleagues to revisit the issue of the death penalty in light of the rising number of crimes being reported.

“There are now compelling reasons to do so. The next crime may be nearer our homes, if not yet there. When society and government was created, according to sociologists and political scientists, the law of revenge in the hands of each one of us, was given to the government,” he said.

But President Aquino remains cool to the proposal, according to his spokesman Edwin Lacierda. – With Alexis Romero