Tinuligsa ni Pampanga 2nd District Representative at dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ang panukalang ibalik ang parusang kamatayan para sa mga banyagang sangkot sa high-level drug trafficking.
Nagmula ang panukalang ito sa House Bill No. 4710 ni Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Representative Rufus Rodriguez, na layong amyendahan ang Republic Act 9165 o ang Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Sa pagdinig ng House Committee on Dangerous Drugs nitong Martes, November 18, iginiit ni Arroyo na taliwas ang nasabing panukala sa mga kasunduang pangkarapatang pantao na nilagdaan ng Pilipinas.
“I think if we go back to the death penalty we will go back to the Human Rights Watch… When there was an attempt to impose a death penalty in previous Congresses… Drilon was Senate President, he said, we cannot proceed to imposing the death penalty, because we have ratified the Second Optional Protocol on the Convention on Human Rights… The Second Optional Protocol specifically prohibits the death penalty and we are a signatory of that,” ani Arroyo.
Bilang alternatibo, iminungkahi ni Arroyo na itaas na lamang ang parusa sa life imprisonment nang walang posibilidad ng parole.
“I would like to urge that instead of death… the higher penalty is life imprisonment without possibility of parole and I would like to suggest that that be the higher penalty to be imposed in all as a substitution for these provisions that are being proposed,” giit pa ng Kongresista.
Suportado rin ito ng Department of Justice, na nagsabing hindi sapat na deterrent ang mas mabigat na parusa kung mababa naman ang tiyansa na mahuli at mapanagot ang mga suspek.
Matagal nang isinusulong ng ilang mambabatas ang pagbabalik ng death penalty para sa malalaking drug cases, kabilang si Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa na nagpahayag noong 2025 na rerepasuhin niya ang panukalang ito.
Sa kasalukuyan, nananatiling ipinagbabawal ang parusang kamatayan matapos itong ipawalang-bisa sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni Arroyo sa pamamagitan ng Republic Act 9346 o ang Act Prohibiting the Imposition of Death Penalty in the Philippines. #
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