Vargas on revival of death penalty and Internet regulation

Alfred Vargas (Photo by Jojo P. Panaligan)

Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas has expressed interest in reopening debates about the revival of the death penalty, following the murder of actress Cherry Pie Picache’s mom.

“I’m open to discussions (about it). Definitely ay gusto kong mahuli ‘yung mga gumawa nu’ng gruesome murder na ‘yun sa nanay ng aking kaibigan. Kahit ako mismo ay tutulong ako to bring them justice. Madali na lang naman ‘yan, pagdating naman sa Plenary, pagbobotohan lang ‘yan,” Vargas said in a recent gathering.

He feels for Picache having lost his own mother last year.

“Nakakaawa. Sa tingin ko, nobody deserves to lose a mother that way. Para sa akin, walang kahit sino mang tao ang may karapatan na gumawa ng ganong (krimen).”

Vargas and his legislative team are currently studying a bill to regulate Internet usage of minors, following a related crime by juveniles in his district.

“Nagulat ako na ang patay (ay) five-year-old na babae. Nu’ng tinanong ko kung bakit siya pinatay, ‘yun pala, naglalaro sila ng ng kaibigan niyang lalaki, nagkapikunan, sinaksak siya nang maraming beses,” he recounted.

“Du’n, medyo na-awaken ‘yung sense of urgency ko tungkol diyan dahil sa Internet, lahat ng bata na-e-expose sa pornography, sa violence, sa bad influence. It just scares me very much as a father kung hindi mai-regulate ‘yan.”

Vargas himself shuns social media, although he is aware that it’s a powerful tool for communication. Apart from being “makaluma,” the 32-year-old has stayed away because he is wary of “bashers.”

“Grabe, ang sakit nilang magsalita na parang… sa panahon ngayon, parang ang hirap ‘pagka mapagtripan ka. Ang sasakit ng mga sinasabi,” he said.

On his first year in Congress, Vargas, along with his colleagues, proposed 10 landmark bills, five of which were passed by the Lower House on its first regular session. These include the mandatory PhilHealth coverage for all senior citizens, the unified student financial assistance system, national land use management, the creation of special education centers in every public school division and the recently enacted Go Negosyo Act.

Vargas also filed a resolution mandating the establishment of a passport issuance office in Novaliches, which will begin operations in the fourth quarter of this year.

Notwithstanding his political success, Vargas still misses showbiz.

“Kasi passion ko ‘yun eh. Siyempre na-miss ko rin ‘yung kumikita ka sa pag-a-artista mo para kahit papano mabigyan ko naman ng kahit konting kaginhawaan ‘yung family ko ‘di ba? Although second priority ko na lang siya, first priority ko ‘yung public service,” he said.

Vargas on revival of death penalty and Internet regulation

Source: Mb.com.ph (September 30, 2014 at 03:06PM)

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