Philippine Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday, July 25, said that once the death penalty bill is signed into law, law enforcers who are found guilty of planting evidence on suspects should also be sentenced to death.

During his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22, President Rodrigo Duterte asked Congress to revive and approve the death penalty on crimes related to illegal drugs, as well as plunder.

“Suggestion ko nga pag napatunayang nag-plant [ng evidence] ang law enforcement, bitay din. Kasi mabibitay ang pinlantingan mo (My suggestion is if it is proven that law enforcement planted drug evidence, they should also face capital punishment because the person on which you planted the evidence will also face death),” said Lacson in an interview with Radio DZMM.

“Dapat lang kung nahuli ka nagplant dapat bitay ka rin para rin mag sampung beses sila mag-isip bago mag-plant sila (If you are found guilty of planting evidence, you should be sentenced to death, that way erring authorities will think 10 times before considering planting evidence themselves),” he added.

Lacson also said that the threshold on the death penalty for drug trafficking should be at an amount that would make it difficult for law enforcers to plant evidence on suspects.

“My suggestion is the threshold of the quantity, volume should be difficult for the law enforcement to plant,” he stated.

Lacson noted that while there are tons of illegal drugs entering the Philippines, most victims of the ongoing crackdown have only possessed a small number of drugs.

This knowledge led him to discuss the amount of threshold for the proposed death penalty bill, specifically for drug traffickers, with Senator Manny Pacquiao.

Aside from Lacson, other senators such as Pacquiao, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go have also filed separate bills proposing the revival of the death penalty.

Lacson is optimistic that the measure would stand a chance in the Senate.