“I have trust on the wisdom and foresight of my colleagues at the Senate. I am confident that we can be able to muster enough votes to push the approval of the death penalty bill in the upper house,” Pacquiao, one of the proponents of the measure, said in a statement.
Pacquiao authored three bills proposing to impose death penalty on certain henious crimes involving dangerous drugs, and on the crimes of kidnapping and aggravated rape.
The boxer-turned-senator said the country needs a death penalty law to address the problem of illegal drugs, which he considers as poison.
“Shall we allow this kind of poison to continue killing our people particularly the youth sector?” Pacquiao said.
“This is not just addictive but it also kills the dreams and future of our youths and the moral fiber of our society,” he added.
Pacquiao said the commission of heinous crimes should already be a “compelling reason” to vote in favor of death penalty.
“Don’t they (opponents of death penalty) consider rampant drug-related crimes and the magnitude of illegal drug problem in the country as compelling reason?” he said.
Drilon earlier claimed that the death penalty proposal at the Senate is “dead,” with at least 13 senators voting against it. He said all six members of the minority bloc will reject death penalty, as well as Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto.
Senators Richard Gordon and Grace Poe have also reiterated that they will vote against death penalty, following Drilon's pronouncement.
Pacquiao is currently in Brisbane, Australia, to promote his July 2 fight against Jeff Horn. He is scheduled to fly back to Manila before Congress resumes session on May 2.
Source: msn
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