Corrupt gov’t officials face firing squad under new bill

The proposal to reinstate the death penalty is making a comeback, this time suggesting firing squad executions for public officials convicted of corruption.

House Bill 11211, or the Death Penalty for Corruption Act, proposes that public officials — whether elected or appointed — convicted by the Sandiganbayan of graft and corruption, malversation of public funds, or plunder be executed by firing squad.

Capital punishment shall be applied to members of the executive branch, including the President, legislative and judicial branches; those serving in constitutional commissions, government-owned and-controlled corporations, and other instrumentalities; as well as members of the police and military forces.

The bill, however, requires that the conviction or the ruling by the Sandiganbayan, the country’s anti-graft court, shall undergo legal remedies and must be upheld by the Supreme Court.

The bill’s proponent, Zamboanga Rep. Khymer Olaso, said the proposal was prompted by the continued prevalence of corruption in the country despite existing laws designed to combat the wrongdoing.

“Corruption remains one of the gravest threats to the Philippines’ social, economic, and political development. The misuse of public funds and the betrayal of public trust not only undermine the government’s legitimacy but also deprive millions of Filipinos of essential services, infrastructure, and opportunities for growth,” the bill reads.

The Philippines was the first Asian country to abolish the death penalty under the 1987 Constitution, but then President Fidel V. Ramos restored it in 1993 through Republic Act 7569.

Thirteen years later, former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo scrapped capital punishment for the second time by signing into law RA 9346, prohibiting the death penalty in the Philippines.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte made two attempts to revive the death penalty for heinous crimes related to drugs and plunder, but both efforts failed to gain support in Congress.

Olaso was not the first lawmaker to revive the push for the death penalty under the Marcos administration. Aside from his bill, there are four similar proposals filed in the present Congress. The measures, however, remain pending at the committee level.

Much like divorce, the reintroduction of the death penalty in this predominantly Catholic country remains a flashpoint between religious and progressive groups, with the former claiming it’s a grievous act against God.