(Photo courtesy of PCOO)
President Rodrigo Duterte called anew on Congress to reinstate the death penalty on drug-related crimes in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“I reiterate the swift passage of a law reviving death penalty by lethal injection for crimes specified under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002,” Duterte said on Monday.
Duterte, known for his deadly war on drugs, had proposed the revival of the death penalty in previous SONAs.
During his penultimate SONA, his proposal was met with silence among lawmakers in the Batasang Pambansa.
“I did not hear too much clapping, so I presume they are not interested,” Duterte said, drawing applause.
The 1987 Constitution removed the death penalty but allowed Congress to reinstate it for “heinous crimes.”
The death penalty was revived under Republic Act 8177 passed under President Fidel Ramos in 1996. It prescribed lethal injection as the method of carrying out capital punishment.
It was abolished in 2006 by Republic Act 9346, during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Duterte told lawmakers: “The [death penalty] will not only deter criminality but also save our children from the danger of drugs.” John Ezekiel J. Hirro