Erap joins calls for restoration of death penalty

MANILA, Philippines - Former President Joseph Estrada on Thursday added his voice to the growing call for the reimposition of the death penalty to convicted drug traffickers. In a statement, Estrada said death penalty must be reimposed against peddlers to send a strong message that drug trafficking is not condoned in the Philippines. "The amounts involved in the briberies that take place in this business are so huge that government officials find it hard to resist," he said. "It therefore becomes imperative for the law to impose the death penalty on these drug traffickers to put a stop to drug trafficking." Estrada's call came hours after the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) and several lawmakers called for the penalty's restoration as triggered by the P50-million bribery surrounding the alleged drug case involving three scions of prominent families. The former president branded the drug trafficking situation in the country as “a crisis that must be immediately acted upon," adding that the current drug statistics show that narcotics problem in the country “has become a tragedy of national proportions." "Drug trafficking in itself is worse than a heinous crime because it destroys the future of our youth. It has also become a major cause of corruption of high government officials, especially law enforcement officers. It also affects the economy because hundreds of millions of pesos go to drug lords instead of being used for legitimate businesses," Estrada said. During Estrada's term, seven convicted criminals were meted with death penalty by lethal injection – Leo Echegaray, Eduardo Agbayani, Dante Piandong, Jesus Morallos, Archie Bulan, Pablito Andan, and Alex Bartolome. Six of them were convicted in 1999. Meanwhile, Estrada also called on Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno to convene a summit to tackle the severe drug problem. "To become the drug capital of Asia shows that this has become a problem so severe that it should be given the highest priority and immediate attention by all sectors, both government and private, including religious leaders," Estrada said. Estrada said it is not only the users who are affected but their families as well since “the financial and emotional implications are severe." - GMANews.TV