The proposal to reinstate the death penalty is making a comeback, this time by firing squad against all public officials found guilty of corruption.

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

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

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

The bill’s proponent, Zamboanga Rep. Khymer Olaso, said the proposal was prompted by the persistent presence of corruption in the country, despite existing laws aimed at combating such wrongdoing.

“Corruption remains one of the gravest threats to the Philippines’ social, economic, and political development… The misuse of public funds and 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. However, then-president Fidel V. Ramos restored it in late 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, which prohibited the death penalty in the Philippines.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte attempted twice to revive the death penalty for heinous crimes related to drugs and plunder but failed to gain congressional approval.

Olaso is not the first lawmaker to revive the push for the death penalty under the Marcos administration. In addition to his bill, four similar proposals have been filed in the present Congress. These 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 is a grievous act against God.