Eddie Villanueva vows to push death penalty for corrupt if reelected

Bro. Eddie Villanueva 
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — Cibac party-list Rep. Eddie Villanueva said he would push for a law imposing the death penalty on corrupt government officials who have stolen over P100 million.

Villanueva made the pronouncement in front of his supporters on Tuesday, the same day he formalized his bid for reelection in Manila Hotel.

“Magfa-file po tayo ng isang panukalang batas, ang mga nasa government kapag nahuling magnakaw ng at least P100 million, dapat death penalty,” Villanueva told reporters when asked what he is seeking should he win a third term as a member of the House of Representatives.

(We will file a bill proposing that government officials caught stealing at least P100 million should be given the death penalty.)

“Bakit? Kapag pinagaralan niyo… ang ugat ng kahirapan ng milyon milyong Pilipino, ang number one cause ay ang unabated political corruption sa ating bansa,” he added.

(Why? When you study…the root cause of the poverty of millions of Filipinos, the number one cause is the unabated political corruption in our country.)

Apart from corruption, Villanueva also said the same penalty would also apply to other criminals who committed heinous crimes.

“Biblical po ‘yan. I can prove it. Ayaw ko sana noon, pero kailan pa matatapos ang matinding kahirapan ng mga Pilipino?” he added.

(That’s biblical. I can prove it. I didn’t want it before, but when will the extreme poverty of the Filipinos end?)

“Kung hindi biblical ‘yan, hindi ko isusulong (If it was not biblical, I would not promote it),” he added.

Apart from the death penalty, Villanueva said he would also push for the approval of the Freedom to Information bill, stressing that records of government officials should be accessible to the public.

READ: Rep. Villanueva: The Bible changes gays, drug users for the better