QUEZON CITY, Sept. 5 — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) firmly believes that death penalty will be a strong deterrent against all drug-related offenders in the Philippines.
“Manufacturers, smugglers, pushers and all the more coddlers and protectors of illegal drugs in the country, both foreign and domestic, who were proven guilty in court, deserve nothing more than capital punishment,” said PDEA Director General Isidro S. Lapeňa.
“Harsher penalties must be dealt for all drug traffickers to send a strong signal to them not to turn our country into a business hub for drugs. Our judicial system must toughen up because foreign-led organized drug syndicates tend to capitalize on our laws which still have loose ends,” Lapeňa said, adding that foreigners convicted of criminal acts may sometimes lead to deportation after serving time behind bars. On the part of convicted local drug offenders, investigations have revealed that a number of detained drug lords are remotely running their trafficking operations even within the confines of the prison.
“These high-profile inmates can still make contacts outside and operate freely while in incarceration,” Lapeňa added. “Evil given for evil done-I believe that the re-imposition of the death penalty is a form of retribution. You have to pay. It is what is given in return for past good or evil that you have done. We are not promoting a culture of violence here. However, it is morally justified in levying a death sentence to people who seek to destroy the lives of our people- the Filipino youth in general. This is our obligation for the sake of our future generations,” the PDEA chief said. (PDEA)
