Pubdate: Sat, 16 Mar 2002 Source: Cebu Daily News (Philippines) Copyright: 2002sCebu Daily News Contact: http://www.cebudailynews.com.ph/metro5.htm Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1723 Author: Malou Guanzon-Apalisok DRUGS AND THE DEATH PENALTY THE BROUHAHA generated by the proposal to abolish the death penalty is expected to draw public attention to the proposed Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. The Senate rendition of the proposed law that Sen. Robert Barbers drafted was approved three weeks ago. The House version was passed only last week, a feat for Cebu City Rep. Tony Cuenco who considers the proposed law a pet legislation. The two versions are set to be reconciled during the bicameral conference committee scheduled soon. There are many provisions expected to spark heated discussions between the Senate and House contingents during the bicameral conference. One such provision is the reduction on the ceiling of illegal possession of shabu and other kinds of prohibited drugs. The Senate has put a cap of 99 grams but the House has seen fit to apply extreme measures on the campaign against illegal narcotics by putting the ceiling at 10 grams. Under existing law, possession of 200 grams of shabu is considered heinous crime and punishable by death. I had the impression that the provision is covered by the present Dangerous Drugs Act, a law enacted during the seventies until Gov. Pablo Garcia told me that this was in fact a provision of the law on the death penalty. The governor knows whereof he speaks as he is the principal author of the death penalty law. He first sponsored the bill in the 8th Congress when he served as 3rd district representative but times then were not propitious for the reimposition of capital punishment. It was only in his second term in Congress when the bill finally gained ground. Killings, rapes and countless sensational crime stories involving scions of affluent families fueled public sentiment favoring the return of capital punishment in Philippine statutes. Governor Garcia recalled that the passage of the death penalty law was imperiled when he objected to the provision pertaining to the cap of 200 grams on illegal possession of drugs. He has another opinion on the matter but eventually gave in to expedite the law's enactment. Garcia is saying that since the Senate has come up with a provision in the proposed Dangerous Drugs Act that lowered the ceiling of illegal possession of dangerous drugs, from 200 to 99 grams, this was in effect an amendment to the law on death penalty - --- MAP posted-by: Beth