Duterte wants death by hanging for criminals

MANILA, Philippines — Use a rope to hang them and avoid wasting the people’s money, President Duterte said last night in pitching for the restoration of the death penalty by hanging.

If he could have his way, Duterte said he wanted ropes to be used instead of buying bullets for the firing squad to execute criminals.

Duterte declared he is supporting the proposal of his former aide, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, to include plunder as a capital offense.

“Bong said he wants death penalty for plunder. I am for it,” Duterte said at the inauguration of the Candon City bypass road in Ilocos Sur.

He said hanging is a cheaper method to execute criminals instead of the proposals to use a firing squad or lethal injection.

Go had lamented there seems to be no clear support from his colleagues in the Senate for including the offense of plunder as punishable by death.

Duterte said there is no reason for any lawmaker or government official to reject Go’s proposal if they are not engaged in corrupt activities, Duterte said.

Duterte said he is not in favor of lowering the threshold for plunder from P50 million to P10 million.

Last Tuesday, Malacañang said it would support the death penalty by hanging or through lethal injection for crimes committed under the influence of drugs and plunder.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte supports the death penalty which would cover only heinous crimes committed under the influence of drugs and plunder.

If he had his way, Panelo said he would rather hang those convicted of heinous crimes, which he described as a cheaper alternative.

If he had his way also, the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) wants lethal injection for persons convicted of drug trafficking, terrorism and other heinous crimes.

PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde voiced his support for the revival of the death penalty law, saying he wanted lethal injection as the method to execute persons convicted of heinous crimes.

Albayalde went against the wishes of his predecessor Sen. Ronald dela Rosa who wanted to revive capital punishment through musketry, or firing squad.

“It doesn’t matter probably but we are civilized people here, probably lethal injection would suffice,” Albayalde said in an interview with ANC.

Albayalde said death penalty would “probably” be a deterrent to drug peddlers and financiers, but stressed a more vigorous enforcement of the law is still the best means.

He said the imposition of the death penalty should be dependent on the volume of drugs seized from the person convicted of the crime.

Albayalde said the death penalty should be imposed on those who traffic kilos of illegal drugs and those who maintain and operate drug dens and laboratories. 

Albayalde said the death penalty is not anti-poor, saying capital punishment should be meted to high value drug dealers.

Another former top cop, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, wants to impose capital punishment on lawmen found guilty of planting evidence.

Lacson, however, clarified that he is looking into 100 kilos as the threshold quantity for an individual to be meted capital punishment. He noted the effort of planting 100 kilos of drugs is a difficult task.

“But if the policemen planted 100 kilos or more of the drugs, automatically it is under death penalty. They (policemen) are the drug lords themselves,” he said.

Lacson also wants the offense of plunder to be included in the crimes punishable by death.

The proposal to revive the death penalty has been gaining support from a majority of the senators.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the revival of the death penalty can move faster if the proposed legislation is carried out only against high-level drug traffickers.   –  With Cecille Suerte Felipe