House body OKs bill imposing death vs foreign drug traffickers

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives Committee on Dangerous drugs has approved a proposed measure seeking to impose death penalty on foreign drug traffickers caught in the Philippines.

Panel chairman and Ilagan Rep. Vicente Belmonte Jr. said that his committee gave a go signal for plenary passage of House Bill 12 13 "to deter foreign nationals from engaging in drug-related activities in the country."

The committee-approved bill mandates the imposition of the penalty for drug offenses as prescribed under the national law of the foreign national or the penalty under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

"While there is no reason to question the laws of foreign countries, we must ensure that our countrymen do not suffer the short end of the stick," said Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, who authored the proposed statute.

During the bill's public hearings, the authors also noted arguments against R.A. 9346 which abolished the death penalty in the country, saying many foreign nationals were emboldened to establish their drug factories in the Philippines.

"Once convicted, these foreign nationals only suffer life imprisonment as opposed to the penalties that they suffer in their own countries which, in some cases like China, is death," they said.