Following the recent kidnapping of a 14-year-old Chinese student in Taguig City—where the perpetrators severed the victim’s finger—Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, seeking re-election, vowed to refile a bill to reimpose the death penalty.
The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP-Laban) senatorial bet said he plans to bring back state sanctioned killing for high-level drug traffickers, citing the alleged resurgence of heinous crimes in the country.
“If given the chance, I will still file it again—this never-ending (bill on) death penalty for high-level drug traffickers. This does not include small-time pushers on the streets; this is for the big-time ones, those involved in large-scale operations,” Dela Rosa said mostly in Tagalog.
The former policeman turned politician acknowledged the controversial nature of the measure, but remains “convinced” that enacting a new capital punishment law is a viable solution to criminality.
Dela Rosa linked crimes such as kidnappings to drug influence, arguing that a hardline approach is necessary to curb such incidents.
“In this campaign, you cannot defeat illegal drugs with a lax approach, a too-refined strategy, or by treating the problem with kid gloves. You need to use an iron fist. If you don’t, these syndicates will just laugh at you. We need to take this seriously,” he said.
Meanwhile, despite being in detention, televangelist Apollo Quiboloy continues to campaign for a Senate seat through his representatives. He is also advocating for the death penalty by firing squad against government officials found guilty of corruption.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte, speaking at a PDP-Laban campaign event on February 22, echoed similar sentiments. He claimed that crimes such as holdups are resurging and assured that, should his party’s candidates win, they would take decisive action.
