Bato refiles death penalty bill for large-scale illegal drug traffickers
By Dhel Nazario
Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa
Senator Ronald Bato Dela Rosa has refiled the measure that seeks to reinstate the capital punishment of death through lethal injection for those who will be found guilty of large-scale trafficking of illegal drugs.
“We will not distinguish between domestic or foreign offenders,” Dela Rosa said.
“Anyone who is unwise enough to even think of entering into these unlawful acts of illegal drug trafficking or those who continue their brazen operations should face the consequences and feel the full weight of our law,” he added.
Once enacted into law, it shall be known as “Death Penalty for Large-scale Illegal Drug Trafficking.
The former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief said that with harsher penalties and a renewed focus on dismantling criminal networks, this legislation aims to decisively reduce the drug supply and confront the regional surge in illicit trafficking before it spins entirely out of control.
In order to prevent not only the proliferation of illegal drugs and the chaos it brings to communities, Dela Rosa said that its source must be directly targeted.
“While putting behind bars small time street drug pushers is a step forward in rehabilitating our nation, we must hunt down the syndicates that has enriched themselves by preying upon our poor people,” he said.
The proposed legislation classifies large-scale trafficking of illegal drugs as wicked and dangerous.
It states that large-scale illegal trafficking is committed by any person who illegally cultivates, cultures, delivers, manufactures, sells, trades, transports, distributes, imports, exports and possesses any dangerous drug and/or controlled precursor and essential chemical involving quantity of not less than one kilo (1kl) or more, unless authorized by law. Any person who commits large-scale illegal trafficking as defined herein shall suffer the penalty of death.
It added that death penalty shall not be imposed when the guilty person is below eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the commission of the crime or is more than seventy (70) years of age or when upon appeal or automatic review of the case by the Supreme Court, the required majority vote is not obtained for the imposition of the death penalty, in which cases the penalty shall be life imprisonment.