Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr

Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. after Carina Agarao of the Crusade against Violence claimed that the move to abolish the law was due to the strong lobbying by syndicates engaged in drug trafficking, said: "Just to block the passage of the bill abolishing the death penalty, our critics are resorting to outright falsehoods and slander. This is most unkind to proponents of the bill whose only motive is to rectify a flaw in our penal system and uphold the constitutional mandate against cruel and inhuman punishment," Pimentel said. Debunking the claim of Agarao, Pimentel said lawmakers who are against death penalty have sponsored or supported a bill imposing stiffer punishment on drug traffickers, pushers, and end-users."If supporters of the abolition of the death penalty in Congress were under the influence of drug syndicates, logically they should have objected to stiffer penalties for drug-related offenses. But the fact is they have acted otherwise," the senator said. At the same time, Pimentel urged members of the Senate and House of Representatives to prioritize the anti-death penalty bill, saying the time is ripe for full-blown debates on the measures.