Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa on Wednesday, July 2, refiled a bill in the 20th Congress seeking to reinstate the death penalty, specifically targeting individuals convicted of large-scale illegal drug trafficking.
According to the report by RH Raymund Dadpaas, under Dela Rosa's proposed measure, capital punishment through lethal injection will be imposed on those found guilty of manufacturing, trafficking, distributing, importing, exporting, transporting, selling, or possessing at least one kilogram or more of illegal drugs.
The bill forms part of the senator’s legislative top priorities in his continued campaign to eradicate illegal drugs in the country.
However, the measure provides exemptions to capital punishment. Offenders who were under 18 years old at the time of the crime or are aged 70 and above will instead face life imprisonment.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is tasked with drafting the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) should the bill be passed into law.
According to the proposal, most drug syndicates which are behind the large-scale drug operations, often victimize marginalized Filipinos, either by using them as couriers or small-scale dealers.
Dela Rosa stressed the importance of directly targeting drug syndicates to address the root of the narcotics problem.
Aside from the death penalty bill, Dela Rosa also intends to push for other priority measures, including the revival of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Act, amendments to the Party-list System Act, and the continued implementation of the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act of 2022.
Dela Rosa has remained firm in his belief that it is a necessary deterrent against high-level drug crimes.
