Then there is Rodrigo Duterte, who served the country from 2016 to 2022 under the promise of eradicating the country’s drug problem in six months—a promise that was eventually unfulfilled and resulted in a brutal anti-narcotics campaign, killing thousands of suspected pushers.
After serving the country as the head of state and government, former Presidents enjoy several privileges that include getting an annual pension of P96,000, a security detail from the Presidential Security Group, and a diplomatic passport from the foreign affairs department, among others.
Four senators—Christopher “Bong” Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Mark Villar and Francis Tolentino—who are allies of Duterte recently filed Senate Bill 1784 (the Former Presidents Benefits Act of 2023), which seeks funds for the former Presidents so they can “employ the services of personal staff and maintain private offices.”
Their fellow lawmaker, the neophyte Sen. Robinhood Padilla, supported the bill, even further suggesting to “automatically” make the former chief executives “presidential advisers.”
The four senators’ bill is tainted with conflict of interest because they are allies with Duterte.
If the living former Presidents are really patriotic, they don’t need additional perks. None of the three former Presidents is poor. They can serve the country as a private citizen, serving free of charge.