Inclusion of plunder in death penalty pushed
Aretired high-ranking police officer, who battled communist rebels during his term in office, has openly expressed his support for the revival of the death penalty and is batting for the inclusion of plunder among the crimes covered.
In an interview at the second national conference of the Task Force Crusaders (TFC) in Mandaluyong City yesterday, former police General Romeo Maganto agreed that the death penalty should be revived to bring order to the country and to scare politicians who dip their hands in public funds.
“That was my advocacy when I ran for senator. I said if ever I will be elected senator, this will be my advocacy. I was the first candidate who proposed for death penalty. Death for plunderers, death for criminals committing heinous crimes, death for drug traffickers,” said Maganto, who is now a consultant at the Office of the Solicitor General. However, he expressed dismay at the removal of plunder among the crimes punishable by death.
“Marami kasi tayong politician na maraming kasalanan, eh. Baka mamaya maging victim sila ng death penalty (We have a lot politicians committing wrongdoing. They might become a victim of death penalty),” Maganto, who lost in his bid for Senate seat, said.
He is currently the national commander of TFC, a group supporting President Duterte and his advocacies. The group has at least 15,000 members nationwide who are mostly retired members of the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Bureau of Investigation, and security agencies.
John Chiong, TFC’s national deputy commander, said their group participated in the two-day rally of support for the administration that coincided with the 31st anniversary of the People Power in EDSA last month.
“We are supporting Duterte’s programs on illegal drugs, corruption, and criminality; yung mga advocacies but not his personal life,” he said.
Maganto said they recently formed Kabataan Iwas Droga (KID), the youth arm of the TFC that will center on activities that will keep the youth from patronizing illegal drugs.
Maganto, who is best known for his strong anti-crime stance after busting notorious robbers and fighting the NPA in Ilocos Norte, said he feels sorry for some of policemen who were recently reassigned to Basilan, saying not all of them are actually “scalawags” but were just victims of intrigue and other unfair accusations.
“Naniniwala ako na hindi 100 percent scalawags. Mayroong biktima ng intriga, merong biktima ng hindi paborito ng boss niya kaya yung iba nga nagrereklamo bakit sila napunta ng Malacañang, bakit nasama ang pangalan niya,” the retired police general said.
“Baka dumating sa extent na na-katuwaan ng boss niya or na bad shot siya. Maaaring hindi nagbibigay sa amo niya. Siguro sabi ‘wala akong pakinabang sayo. Dun ka na sa Basilan’… I am a commander and intelligence officer before my retirement,” he stressed.
Yesterday’s convention gathered officers or directors of the TFC from the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
Maganto said funding of its group is derived mainly from members who will in turn receive 1100,000 insurance benefits and scholarship funds for their dependents.
Its youth arm, KID, led by Marlon Marañon of Negros Occidental, is now in the process of raising leaders in various cities, including Muntinlupa, Manila, Mandaluyong, Cainta, and Bacolod.
The officers also said TFC will establish hotline numbers that will gather reports on crimes and corruption and forward them to concerned government offices.