Death Penalty Never Lifted In Davao City

The whole country may be going agog over Senator Miguel Zubiri's proposal to reimpose the Death Penalty for drug pushers but it turns out that it was never lifted at all in Davao City. This was the admission made by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte during his "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa" program yesterday.

The revival of the Death Penalty law is again being discussed in light of the drug payoff issue involving the Alabang Boys as well as heinous crimes like the bloody robbery of RCBC in Cabuyao Laguna last year which left 10 people dead.

"There was already an attempt to corrupt Davao City and there was even a laboratory set up here already (the one raided by operatives in Dumoy, Toril last December 2004)," Duterte said. Those involved, Jed Pilapil-Sy (wife of suspected druglord and fugitive Allan Sy) as well as her brother Jessie Jones Pilapil were sentenced by Judge Romeo Albarracin to life imprisonment and were ordered to pay a $5 million fine. Allan Sy is however still at large.

Duterte said corruption really exists in the country especially when it comes to drugs "Kapila na naay raid unya ang maabtan sa pulis aparatus lang wala na ang tao ug ang shabu---unsa pa man tawag diha kung dili corruption (how many times have the raiding teams arrived at a reported drug den and laboratory only to find out only the aparatus remained and the pushers and shabu no longer there)."

"I support PDEA's Santiago and Marcelino---continue the good work and tell the truth because corruption does exist," he said.

Duterte said if the government will not provide a legal means of putting these drug users and pushers to justice then people can always find a way to deal with them extra judicially. Anyway, he said, "death penalty has never been lifted in Davao."

Jailed Senator Tops No. Of Senate Bills Filed For September '08

The government may be doing the Filipinos a disservice in keeping renegade-soldier Senator Antonio Trillanes in jail. However, Trillanes has proven that his supporters did not waste their votes on him as evident with his performance in the Senate.

Trillanes may be inside the jail and is not allowed to attend Senate sessions but he is keeping himself busy inside his cell. Senator Trillanes topped the list of Senators who have filed bills in the Senate last September 2008 with 16 bills for the said month. He was followed by Senator Manny Villar with 13 bills, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago with 10 bills, Senator Loren Legarda with 6 bills and Senators Francis Escudero and Mar Roxas wit 4 bills each.

Majority of Trillanes' bills can have enormous impact in the society once they become laws. Among these bills are:

SBN-2637: Agritourism Promotion Act of 2008
An Act to Promote Agritourism in the Philippines which can greatly promote Mindanao's agriculture and promote the island's role as a food basket.

SBN-2621: National Livelihood Development Act of 2008
An Act Creating the National Livelihood Development Council Thereby Institutionalizing the Livelihood Movement of the Philippines which can alleviate poverty not only in the countryside but in the whole country as well.

SBN-2620: Anti-Private Army Law of 2008
An Act Defining 'Private Armies and Other Armed Groups', Implementing the Constitutional Provision for Their Dismantling, Prescribing Penalties Therefor which can (hopefully) prevent Mindanao political lords (and even politicians from otter areas) from establishing their own military forces.

One can argue that Trillanes' prolific bill creation and filing may be because he does not have anything to do inside his room except formulate laws. However, looking at the quality of the bills he has proposed one can say that this military man who challenged President Gloria Arroyo's leadership several years ago may have something important to say. It is unfortunate that he could not be allowed to function like regular Senator. On second thoughts--why not imprison the rest of the senators---maybe then they would be able to craft more meaningful laws.