CHIZ: DEATH PENALTY REVIVAL WON’T SCARE DRUG TRAFFICKERS
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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.
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CHIZ TO PALACE: JUST ORDER HOUSE ALLIES NOT TO CON-ASS
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Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero said yesterday all the Palace has to do is to publicly order its allies in the
House not to convene the Con Ass during President Arroyo’s State of the Nation (SONA) to erase any
suspicions that it has sinister plans on that day.
“Unless there is a public declaration by the President herself, addressed to her party-mates in the House,
the suspicions about this administration’s dark intentions will remain in the minds of the people,” he said.
“As president of the biggest coalition in the House, Lakas-Kampi, she can make the order.”
Escudero also said the Speaker’s declaration that he has placed charter change on top of the legislative
agenda only serves to fuel speculation that the administration is bent on pushing through with its plans.
He also reiterated his opposition to any changes in the constitution during Arroyo’s term and vowed to block
such moves in the Senate where he heads the Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of
Codes and Laws.
Escudero said he has decided not to attend the SONA but will be present at the opening of the Senate
session.
“I don’t want to be there just in case her allies cheer for an encore and ask for more of GMA,” he said.
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