Senate President Vicente Sotto III said that the Senate’s three to four death penalty bills had a better opportunity of passing if they were limited to high-level drug trafficking alone.

Sotto stated that the bill debate won’t be as hard and lengthy if the crimes covered are restricted to drug trafficking and plundering at the highest level.

Sotto said in specific that death penalty can hardly be regarded as anti-poor for high-level drug traffickers as big-time drug traffickers are anything but bad.

Sotto explained that the death penalty would not be imposed on anyone caught with big amounts of illegal drugs.

Sotto said in the same interview that he does not believe death will reach Congress by firing squad or hanging, stating that such penalties are unlawful because they are inhumane.

Duterte repeated his call for Congress to re-impose the death penalty for drug-related crimes and plundering in his fourth State of the Nation Address.