DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG LORDS - MARCOS

Vice presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. has expressed his support for calls for the re-imposition of the death penalty but only to drug lords.

Marcos said while he is against the death penalty, he will agree to its re-imposition if the same covers drug lords because they are in effect destroying the future of the country. "These drug lords should be given the death penalty because it is clear that they are destroying the future, our youth. They are destroying their lives, the future of our country," he said.

He said the next administration should act more resolutely in the fight against illegal drugs in the light of reports that show that 93 percent of barangays in Metro Manila have illegal drug peddlers.

But what is more disconcerting, Marcos pointed out, is the fact that even rural areas have been infiltrated by the illegal drug trade. "The newest development that came out is the report that even rural areas have been penetrated by these drug lords which is the reason why the problem has become so serious," he stressed.

Marcos said based on other countries' experience in fighting illegal drugs, it is not the amount of money put in the campaign that would make a difference. It is, he said, the foundation of the family.

He said illegal drugs in the United States remains a serious problem despite the allocation of more than a trillion dollar budget. However, in other countries that do not consider illegal drug a serious concern, they put strong emphasis on values formation and the strong foundation of the family.

"Let's take a look at Amerika. Their so-called 'War on Drugs', they spend more than a trillion dollars but the problem remains big. Then let's take a look at countries that do not have consider drugs a serious problem and we could see that they put emphasis on the family. Their parents play a major role in the lives of their children. Values formation is what they call it," he said.

This is the reason why people should not consider the problem on illegal drugs a purely law enforcement concern but something that needs the full cooperation of every member of society. "In my opinion, let's not think that the problem on illegal drugs is a problem only for the police to solve or the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency). It is a problem of the whole Philippines, our society," he said.

The senator, who has been advocating for unity in his campaign, said this is also the best deterrent against the moneyed drugs lords who have the ability to bribe their way out of every case that may be filed against them.

"The problem is these drugs lords could easily use their money to bribe almost everyone and this is what we should change. We should all be involved, from the police operation to the cases filed in court. Let's involve our parents, our teachers, our church leaders, every member of society and let's go back to values formation," he said. He added, "(t)his is the kind of unity that we need right now because with unity everything is possible and we can certainly put an end to this problem on illegal drugs if we have unity."