MANILA, Philippines – House committee on dangerous drugs chairperson Robert Ace Barbers urged senators to pass the bill reviving the death penalty as he continues to lead the probe into the multibillion-peso shabu smuggled into the country this year.

Barbers made the appeal to the Senate on Wednesday, November 28, the day his committee and the panel on good government and public accountability continued to look into the missing P11-billion and the intercepted P2.4-billion shabu shipments.

The Surigao del Sur 2nd District congressman believes people continue to commit drug-related crimes because of the “lack of implementation of laws.”

“I would therefore take this opportunity to appeal to the Senate to pass the death penalty bill that has been approved by this House. This is the only legislation that is apt for these crimes that keep on happening. Death is the only language these criminals and big-time syndicates understand,” said Barbers.

“What are we waiting for – more deaths and crimes brought about by substance abuse? A whole nation of drug addicts? A narco state?” he asked.

The House of Representatives approved on 3rd and final reading a bill reimposing the death penalty for 7 drug-related crimes in March 2017.

But in July 2017, then-Senate president Aquilino Pimentel III said reimposing the death penalty was not a priority for the chamber.

No moves to revive the death penalty bill have been made so far under the term of current Senate President Vicente Sotto III. – Rappler.com