CHIZ VOWS TO JAIL THIEVES IN GOV'T

To prove their commitment to eliminating corruption, Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero said he will not let anyone get away with stealing from government--whether it's one million or one peso.

Under the "Gobyernong may Puso" that he and Sen. Grace Poe hope to lead, Escudero said the corrupt, whether friends or foes, will face the legal consequences of their actions.

"Kakilala man o hindi, titiyakin namin sinomang nagnakaw maski na piso mula sa kaban ng bayan, papanagutin at ikukulong sa harap ng hustisya--kung saka-sakali, ika nga, sa presinto na siya magpaliwanag," Escudero said at the first and only vice-presidential debate hosted by the Commission on Elections, with CNN Philippines, Businessmirror and Rappler.

The lone independent vice-presidential candidate also vowed to push for the passage of the Freedom of Information bill, which he authored and Poe sponsored as chair of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media.

The FOI bill, which the administration has long promised but never certified as urgent, was passed by the Senate in March 2014. However, it remains pending in the House of Representatives.

"Ang FOI maglalagay ng ilaw at kamera, ika nga, para sa bawat transaksyon ng pamahalaan kung saan titiyakin natin at sisiguraduhin na sinomang gagawa ng kalokohan o katarantaduhan, mahuhuli at madaling makikita," Escudero said.

He pointed out the lack of delicadeza among government officials was the reason the country needed a law that would hinder corruption in government.

"Bahagi ng katiwalian para sa akin ang paggamit sa pwesto para isulong ang personal at pansariling interes. Mahalaga sa akin at pinapahalagahan ko ang delicadeza dahil para sa akin isang uri ng katiwalian ang kawalan ng delicadeza sa pwesto," Escudero said.

He said corruption stems from the discretionary powers of people in government, which is why such discretion must be removed.

"For me, discretion always equals corruption; so therefore, if you minimize discretion, we will be able to minimize corruption. If we eliminate discretion, we can eliminate corruption. Layunin namin i-identify ang areas of discretion sa pamahalaan para bawasan at alisin ito, kabilang na ang ilang mga measures na gusto po naming gawin," he said.

The veteran lawmaker said he would start by implementing simple initiatives such as removing drawers in government offices known for being corrupt such as Bureau of Customs (BOC), and using pocket-less uniforms for BOC personnel.

"Sa pamamagitan nito at iba pang bagay, layunin naming ipakita at patunayan seryoso kami ni Senator Grace na labanan ang katiwalian," Escudero said.