Solons bat for death penalty return vs. drug offenders

Congressman Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte on Monday renewed his call to revive the death penalty for drug offenders in light of the execution of two convicted Filipino drug couriers in China.

 “We urge the two Houses of Congress to take a serious look at the reimposition of the death penalty, most especially on drug related offenses. Our kababayans convicted in foreign lands for drug trafficking are almost always executed while we extend kid gloves treatment if not VIP treatment to foreigners, especially Chinese nationals, who are apprehended and convicted of the same offense here,” said Barbers, chairperson of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs.

The Philippines abolished the death penalty in 2006.

“There should be a similar punishment imposed on these foreign nationals as well as fellow Filipinos who introduce drugs into the country.  If other countries treat illegal drugs as a threat to their citizenry and the whole society, why are we so soft in treating this menace in our own territory?,” Barbers added.

According to a "24 Oras" report, Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez made the same call to impose harsher punishment for foreign drug offenders, including the imposition of the death penalty.

The lawmaker's proposal was contained in House Bill No. 2459 he earlier filed. 

Barbers said that it is baffling that China metes life sentences to drug offenders and yet the Philippines, which is at the receiving end of illegal drugs from China, is yet to mete out the same harsh punishment to Chinese drug offenders.

“We have yet to see one Chinese convict being executed to deter others from committing such a heinous crime.  It seems that we have accepted all the exports from China, from POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations) to illegal gambling and kidnapping syndicates, sleeper cells, illegal drugs and what have you,’ Barbers pointed out.

“It is obvious that we have become the dumping ground of the scum in their society, yet we seem to be oblivious to what they are doing to our country. Our eyes seem to be wide shut,” Barbers added.

In a separate statement, the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN) and the Coalition Against the Death Penalty (CADP) expressed grief over the execution of two Filipino drug offenders in China and called on both the Philippine and Chinese governments to be transparent in disclosing details on the said case.

“We join the bereaved families to offer condolences to family members executed and are  grateful for the Philippine Government’s efforts to exhaust appeals for commuting the punishment. We urge the governments of both China and the Philippines to be more transparent in providing information about the status of persons on death row, the charges they are facing, and the conditions they are in,” the groups said.

“Every opportunity should be given for the prisoners or their  loved ones to seek legal counsel, or for lawyers to step forward to aid families who are often  overwhelmed and at a loss, or do not have enough resources to engage adequate legal representation. Timely information about persons on death row is also crucial in harnessing support to call for reprieves, commutations of stays of execution,” the groups added.

The groups opposed to the death penalty noted that any refusal or impediment to legal counsel severely undermines the fairness and legitimacy of a state’s criminal justice system, and that public information can also be used to educate and mobilize members of the public to work towards more effective solutions to address problems in our societies.

“Cases that are shrouded in secrecy, away from public scrutiny, do not offer opportunities for us to better understand how people end up getting involved with drugs or drug-related offenses in the first place,” the groups said.

“If our collective goal is to prevent crime and work towards improved well-being in our communities, unaccountable and secret executions will do little to help us achieve our desired ends,” they added.—RF, GMA Integrated News