Sotto, Pimentel: Death penalty will have a better chance if limited to drug trafficking


By AMITA LEGASPI, GMA News
Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Aquilino Pimentel III expressed belief Monday that the proposal to reimpose death penalty would have a bigger chance of approval if it will be limited to one heinous crime — drug trafficking.
“I was glad that he did not particularly center on what type because we are looking at the possibility of the Senate being able to pass it if it is confined to high level drug trafficking only,” Sotto told reporters.
He said if plunder would be included, other senators might oppose it.
“We will try to convince some of our colleagues. It’s a heavy debate but we just have to work on it,” he said.
Pimentel said the proposed measure will face an uphill climb if it will include other crimes.
“That expands the coverage so sa proponents ng death penalty this is all I can say, as soon as you expand the coverage to more than one heinous crime, then you will have a more uphill climb,” he said in a separate interview.
He said: “If you limit it to one heinous crime then there is a big possibility it can pass. The more crimes you add, the more you alienate some legislators, the more you lose support for the initiative.”
Senator Risa Hontiveros, for his part, said the minority bloc will oppose any move to revive death penalty.
“Hindi talaga epektibong deterrent ang death penalty kahit na anong klaseng krimen. Ang tutuong deterrent sa krimen ay yung pagsasaayos ng ating criminal justice system, yung kasiguruhang mahuhuli ang suspected criminal, mapo-prosecute siya, at mako-convict,” she said.
President Rodrigo Duterte, in his fourth State of the Nation Address, reiterated his call for Congress to reimpose death penalty for crimes related to drugs and plunder. —LDF, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more