SEN. Ronald dela Rosa yesterday vowed he would push anew for the reinstatement of the death penalty against high-level drug traffickers if reelected to the Senate.
Dela Rosa said that during his talks with convicted drug traffickers when he was the director of the Bureau of Corrections, he learned that the absence of the death penalty as punishment made it conducive to high-level drug traffickers to continue their activities.
He said the situation is different in other countries like China, Malaysia, Indonesia, or Singapore where there is capital punishment.
“Even if we are caught, jailed, and convicted, we can still run our drug business outside [New] Bilibid [Prison]. We can do it because we are not scared of being caught, we are not afraid of being charged because we are already convicted. Besides, we are protected while inside [the NBP]),” Dela Rosa said in Filipino quoting the drug convicts.
Dela Rosa also urged proper authorities to identify and arrest persons who brag about their use of illegal drugs by posting videos in their social media accounts.
“Have you seen what’s happening nowadays? Everyday we see on social media sites that drug addicts post videos of themselves using shabu. They even vlog them. They are showing the whole that they are proud of what they’re doing),” he said.
He said that if not arrested and charged in court, such acts would make people think that illegal drug use is the “new normal.”
“What will be instilled in the minds of the youth? They will think they will become famous for using shabu. You can earn money by posting your videos using shabu since you have become a content creator. The youth will think that it is normal. So the Philippines’ future is at stake,” he added.
