MANILA, Philippines — With only two years left before President Duterte steps down, his war on drugs may be running out of time, administration Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said yesterday.
“Running out of time kaya siguro kailangan pa natin ng isa pang Duterte para magtuloy-tuloy ang trabaho (so maybe we need another Duterte to continue the work),” he said in an interview over dwIZ.
Dela Rosa said although many others are qualified to lead the country, they are not as tough as Duterte.
The senator said the government is at least doing something to address the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country.
He warned that doing nothing could lead to the Philippines being a “narco state,” with “police officers retreating from armed drug lords, like in Mexico. Let’s not wait for that.”
Dela Rosa said the Philippines would have been a narco state if Duterte had not been elected.
He added that another way to help the government’s campaign against illegal drugs is to reimpose the death penalty, a measure pending before the Senate justice committee.
Dela Rosa said he will call the attention of the committee, which “has not had a hearing in 2019.”
“Mangangalampag na kami para mabitay na ang mga drug lord (We will lobby so the drug lords will be executed),” said the senator, who is pushing for the reimposition of the death penalty on drug lords alone.
Then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9346, which prohibited the imposition of the death penalty, in 2006.