Sen. Franklin Drilon said Tuesday he would oppose President Rodrigo Duterte's fresh call for the revival of death penalty due to "deficiencies in our justice system."

"You make a mistake in imposing the death penalty, you can never correct that mistake," he told ANC.

He urged the government to instead reform the justice and law system.

• Death penalty unnecessary if drug lords have separate prisons: Sotto

Duterte, during his penultimate State of the Nation Address, asked Congress on Monday to reinstate death penalty by lethal injection for crimes linked to narcotics.

The President also used his SONA to castigate Drilon over his proposal to ban political dynasties if government wants to dismantle oligarchy.

Duterte claimed Drilon was involved when his former law firm drafted water concession agreements that were allegedly onerous and disadvantageous to the government. The President also said the senator had defended the Lopezes, not press freedom, when he criticized the broadcast shutdown of ABS-CBN.

• Duterte opens SONA 2020 with attack on 'oligarch' Lopezes

Drilon said he retired from the ACCRA Law Offices when he joined the Cabinet of President Cory Aquino in 1986, years before the firm facilitated the water concession deal in 1995.

"I have not placed any comma nor any period in that concession agreement. I have not seen the shadow of that water concession agreement up to this time," said the opposition lawmaker.

"On the grave of my parents, I assert and I am willing to tell our entire country that I had nothing to do, wala po akong kinalaman doon po sa water concession agreement," he added.

The senator also said he owed nothing to the Lopezes.

• Drilon says he owes nothing to Lopezes, had some unaired ads on ABS-CBN
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ANC, July 28, 2022