CHIZ: DEATH PENALTY REVIVAL WON'T SCARE DRUG TRAFFICKERS

Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday said it is still the certainty of punishment that will deter drug lords and other criminals from plying their trade rather than the re-imposition of the death penalty as proposed by government.

"The revival of the death penalty will not scare drug lords. Most of those caught anyway are small fry. This kind of reactive attitude spiced by hype and fuelled by belated anxiety on the part of our self-appointed drug czar will neither effectively counter the drug problem nor solve rising criminality," he said.

"Government cannot afford to get mad. What it must do is to strictly implement the law against drug lords and protect its agents and their families," Escudero said.

He added that government should instead take heed of the US government's International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) released earlier this year which revealed that illegal drugs remains a significant problem in the Philippines due to corruption and poor law enforcement.

"While it does not say that all those involved in the fight against drugs are corrupt, the fact that such a report was made means we must start by looking at our own backyard," Escudero said.

The INSCR also indicated that efforts to combat the drug problem will be for naught if the authorities are unable "to disrupt major drug trafficking organizations and dismantle clandestine drug laboratories and warehouses.

Escudero expressed support for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in its campaign to rid the country of the drug menace.