(Eagle News Service) — The senate is set to review the possibility of reviving death penalty in the country.
In an interview with senate reporters, Senator Vicente Sotto III has again revived his call for the re-imposition of the death penalty in the country, following the exposed luxurious prison lifestyle of several convicted drug lords in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).
The senator, however, said that he will amend his bill that imposes death penalty to make it exclusive for high level drug traffickers.
“Only for high level drug trafficking. I don’t think that a poor person will be involved in high level drug trafficking” he said.
Although not in favor of the death penalty, Senator JV Ejercito also said that he is willing to study the proposed amendments because of recent developments that exposed the continuing drug transactions of several drug traffickers even inside the Maximum Security Compound of the NBP.
Ejercito also challenged Justice Secretary Leila De Lima to relieve NBP officials that would be proven to have conspired with the drug lords.
Senator Bam Aquino also expressed his belief that top NBP officials have had a hand in the drug operations inside NBP and said that they should also be punished.
“With or without their knowledge, top prison officials are still responsible for the presence of contraband and perks given to special inmates inside the prison cells” Aquino added.
Meantime, human rights Groups said reviving death penalty is not an effective way to curb criminality in the country.
Dr. Nymia Simbulan of Philrights said reviving death penalty is just torture for those who are in the death row.
She said that it would also give a painful experience for the family of those who will suffer death penalty.
Simbulan also argued that if the country would revive death penalty, it would mean that the country is backing away from its commitment in the international community that implements moratorium on death penalty.