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Pacquiao to ask Duterte to certify death penalty bill as urgent


Senator Manny Pacquiao said Tuesday that he will ask President Rodrigo Duterte to certify the death penalty bill as urgent to expedite its passage.

“Mas maganda [if certified as urgent]; hilingin natin sa Pangulo,” Pacquiao told reporters.

Bills certified as urgent by the President are considered priority legislation and can be approved on third reading right after its second reading approval without having to wait for three days.

During his fourth State of the Nation Address on Monday, Duterte urged Congress to reimpose the death penalty for crimes related to drugs and plunder.

Four senators—Pacquiao, Panfilo Lacson, Ronald Sela Rosa, and Christopher "Bong" Go—have filed bills seeking the revival of death penalty.

Pacquiao expressed readiness to defend the bill.

“Dapat nung 17th Congress naipasa na ‘yan para wala nang drogang maipasok dito. I’m sure matakot na yung mga taga-ibang bansa na pumasok dito dahil may death penalty na tayo,” he said.

Even though Pacquiao’s bill focuses on illegal drugs, he is open to include plunder.

“Depende na ‘yan sa magiging debate sa floor,” he said.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said he is also open to include plunder in the bill but said it might have a better chance if it is limited to drug trafficking.

“That [plunder] can be discussed but I think it will stand a better chance in the Senate if that is limited to high volume drug trafficking because this type of individuals have the capacity to defend themselves,” he said in an interview on CNN Philippines.

“If they get convicted, death penalty will eventually end the root cause of drugs. We are not talking about grams, we are talking about hundreds and thousands of kilos of drugs. I would like to focus on that. That’s the root cause of our crimes like rape, a lot of them are connected to illegal drugs,” he added. — BM, GMA News

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