A GROUP | in the Lower House of Congress is pushing for the death penalty for government officials who steal up to P100 million from public funds.
According to Cibac party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva, it is time to execute corrupt officials because they are allegedly hindering the country’s progress and plunging the Filipino people into poverty.
“Biblically, death penalty is approved by God for heinous crimes, so we thought corruption is excessive no matter what we do, that’s why the first law we will submit is the death penalty for government officials proven to have stolen P100 million plus from public funds,” Villanueva said.
Villanueva, the leader of the religious group Jesus Is Lord (JIL), admitted that he was initially against the death penalty, especially when the justice system in the country was not yet in order, but his mind changed due to worsening corruption in the Philippines.
One of the pieces of evidence, he said, is the 2023 Corruption Perception Index by the international watchdog Transparency International, where the Philippines ranks 115th out of 180 countries with a significant corruption problem.
In that report, he said, the Philippines scored 34, significantly lower than the global average of 43, and far from the score of 100 to be considered clean from corruption for a country.
In addition, the Office of the Ombudsman reported that 20% of the national budget is pocketed by corrupt government officials, so he believes that the death penalty should be reinstated for corrupt government officials.
“Indeed, corruption is a shackle that hinders the true progress of our country and our fellow citizens. The major root of the severe poverty of the Filipino people,” Villanueva added.
Currently, only plunder cases with a penalty of life imprisonment can be filed against government officials proven to have stolen no less than P50 million.
However, it seems that the said law is no longer effective, so Villanueva wants them to be executed because they are the main reason why the people suffer in poverty.
