CAGAYAN de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez today called for a tit-for-tat treatment of Chinese nationals convicted by local courts for drug trafficking by imposing the death penalty on them.
He made the call in reaction to the report of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that China executed two Filipinos on Nov. 24 for drug-related offenses.
“If they put our compatriots to death for violations connected to illegal drugs, let us do the same to their nationals, many of whom are caught manufacturing, peddling or smuggling drugs into the country,” he said.
Rodriguez called on Congress to immediately pass his Bill No. 2459, filed on July 27, 2022.
The measure is titled, “An Act adopting the higher prescribed penalty, including death, of the national law of an alien found guilty of trafficking dangerous drugs and other similar substances, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.”
He said it is not fair that Filipinos get the death penalty in China, while Chinese nationals involved in illegal drugs here suffer only life imprisonment.
He said drug traffickers and other criminals in China and other countries where the death penalty is imposable “go to the Philippines to pursue their nefarious activities because they know that if they are convicted, they can enjoy life in prison and even continue their illegal pursuits there.”
He said most of the drug law violations caught by local authorities are Chinese.
“Many of them are even able to get away with their crimes because of connections in high places and, of course, bribery,” he added.
He pointed out that the DFA report last weekend was just the latest in a string of executions by China of Filipinos for drug offenses.
The Mindanao lawmaker recalled that on July 3, 2013, a 35-year-old Filipina was executed. Before that, in March 2011, Beijing put to death three Filipinos for drug violations.
Rodriguez said China carried out the executions despite repeated pleas from the Philippine government, international human rights groups and countries advocating respect life and human rights.
“While we do not question the laws of China and other countries, we must ensure that our countrymen do not suffer the short end of the stick. As such, there is a need to amend our laws to make sure that foreigners caught violating our statutes on drugs get the harshest penalties that their laws impose,” he said.
