MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte`s campaign to bring back the death penalty for drug-related crimes has cleared a major hurdle, with supporters backing it in congress but critics denouncing the planned killings as `inhumane`.

The death penalty bill, along with a proposed measure to punish children as young as nine as adult criminals, are key planks of Duterte`s controversial drug war that has already claimed more than 6,500 lives.

A majority of politicians in the lower house of congress passed a second reading of the bill on Wednesday night, clearing one ofthe biggestobstaclesin proponents` plans to make the death penalty legal by May.

A third and final reading still needs to be held next week, although with no more debates both sides agree passage is a formality. Then the Senate, which is similarly dominated by Duterte`s allies, would pass a counterpart bill.

`We have hurdled the most difficult part,` said congressman ReynaldoUmali, a sponsor of the bill .

Opponents voiced anger the Philippines would bring back the death penalty, 11 years after it was revoked, highlighting among many concerns a corrupt justice system that would lead to innocent people being executed.

`The decision is inhumane, shameful and blatantly disrespectful,` Father Jerome Secillano, executive secretary for public affairs at the Catholic Bishops` Conference of the Philippines, said in a statement sent to AFP.

`Let me reiterate this, criminals should be punished and victims should be aided, but the punishment should not be death. Due to our flawed and dysfunctional criminal justice system, there is a great chance that innocent people may become victims of wrongful convictions.

Secillano and opposition lawmakers also criticised the tactics used to ensure the bill was passed, such as curtailing of debates and only allowing a vote by voice so lawmakers would not be specifically identified ashaving supported it.

The speaker of the house also threatened to strip lawmakers of committee leadership positions if they voted against the bill. `This is a chamber of puppets and bullies,` congressman Edcel L agman, a longtime opponent of capital punishment, said after his efforts to block the bill were voted down.

The bill limits the death penalty to drug-related crimes.

Possessing 500 grammes of marijuana, or 10 grammes of cocaine, heroin or ecstasy, would be crimes punishable by execution, as would manufacturing and selling drugs.

People who commit serious crimes such as murder and rape while under the innuence of drugs could also be executed.

However committing those crimes without being under the influence of drugs would only be punishable with jail terms.

The bill allows for execution by hanging, firing squad or injection.-AFP