(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte is “most likely” to certify as urgent the bill reinstating the death penalty for crimes related to illegal drugs and plunder.
This is according to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo in a press conference on Tuesday, July 23, a day after Duterte urged Congress to revive the policy in his fourth State of the Nation Address.
“Ang feeling ni Presidente yan ang pinakamabigat na problema natin. One is corruption; number two is yung sa droga kaya siguro mas gusto niya yun..,” Panelo said.
According to Panelo, the President prefers death by hanging for those criminals.
The President has been vocal about his support for the death penalty, abolished in 2006, saying it will deter individuals from committing crimes.
Senate President Tito Sotto has said a death penalty measure is more likely to pass in the Senate, however, if it was only limited to drug trafficking.
Senator Manny Pacquiao for his part said he believed such a measure would be passed in the Senate.
He proposed death by firing squad or lethal injection for individuals who have been convicted of drug-related crimes and plunder.
