CONGRESS APPROVES TOUGH ANTI-ILLEGAL DRUG LAW

The House of Representatives approved yesterday morning a tougher
anti-illegal drug bill that lawmakers hope could arrest the spread of the
drug menace.

The approval of the measure capped a marathon session that started on
Wednesday afternoon. Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. made sure that his chamber
passed urgent bills before Congress went on its Lenten break which started
yesterday.

The tougher anti-illegal drug bill was sponsored by Cebu City Rep. Antonio
Cuenco, who chairs the House special committee on illegal drugs.

Cuenco said the drug menace has already reached alarming proportions since
illegal drugs are now being peddled even in remote areas of the country.

Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri (Lakas, Bukidnon), one of the authors of the
measure, said its most drastic provision is the one that calls for the
imposition of the death penalty on persons found possessing 10 grams of shabu.

He said he and his colleagues hope that the prospect of death by lethal
injection would deter people from drug trafficking.

"There are already 3.7 million drug dependents among us. Of this number,
1.2 million are in their teens," he said.

He added that the provision calling for the imposition of the death penalty
on drug pushers is one proof that the prevailing sentiment in the House is
to keep the capital punishment.

On Wednesday, Zubiri and "Spice Boys" colleagues Representatives Rolando
Andaya Jr. of Camarines Sur, Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte and
Federico Sandoval II of Malabon-Navotas filed a resolution urging the House
to oppose a Senate move to abolish the death penalty.

They said there is no proof that the law has not been able to deter heinous
crimes since the government has not fully implemented it.

In fact, out of the more than 1,000 on Death Row, only a few had been
executed, they said.

Another author of the anti-drug bill, Rep. Maite Defensor of Quezon City,
said the Senate appears to be soft on drug traffickers.

Defensor said under the smaller chamber's proposal, persons caught
possessing 99 grams of shabu would be classified as pushers who will face
the death penalty.

She said the Senate would be 10 times more lenient than the House in
classifying drug peddlers.