BUTUAN CITY (MindaNews / 18 Dec) – Senatorial aspirant Vic Rodriguez, in a press conference here Tuesday, has called for the reinstatement of the death penalty to address corruption and drug-related offenses.
Rodriguez, former campaign manager and executive secretary of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., proposed amendments to the plunder law, lowering the threshold for corruption charges from ₱50 million to ₱5 million.
“Reinstating the death penalty will serve as a strong deterrent to the rampant corruption under the current administration,” said Rodriguez, who had a falling out with the Marcos administration and the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, during the press conference at the Woodstock District Restobar.
He stressed that imposing capital punishment on government officials convicted of plunder would be his top legislative priority if elected to the Senate. “The ₱5-million threshold is a reasonable baseline,” he explained, warning politicians who might oppose the measure.
“I will present this to the Filipino people so they can see which politicians support or reject it. If you enter public service with no intent to steal, then you have no reason to oppose this amendment,” he said.
Rodriguez cited laws in neighboring Southeast Asian countries that impose harsh penalties for corruption and illegal drugs, including cases involving prominent business figures. “In these countries, government officials fear the law, and citizens respect it,” he remarked, referencing a Singaporean-Iranian who was hanged last month for drug trafficking in Singapore and a Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death earlier this year for corruption.
The senatorial candidate criticized the recently approved 2025 General Appropriations Act, which he claimed prioritizes infrastructure programs over essential services. He took issue with the ₱12-billion cut of the budget for the Department of Education (DepEd) and the lack of funding for PhilHealth.
“This move is unconstitutional,” Rodriguez argued, pointing to Article XIV, Section 1 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which mandates the state to “protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and take appropriate steps to make education accessible.”
“What happened here? Over ₱1 trillion for public works, yet ₱12 billion was slashed from the education budget?” he questioned.
Rodriguez also criticized the ₱500-billion flood control fund allocated by Malacañang, calling it ineffective and tainted by corruption. He pointed to the devastation caused by Typhoon Kristine, which claimed over 200 lives, as evidence of misused funds. (Chris V. Panganiban Sr. / MindaNews)
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