MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – Unofficial President-elect Rodrigo Duterte and Senator-elect Manny Pacquiao both announced today what their first official act would be on their first day in office.

For his part, the Davao city mayor says he will raise the drug problem to the level of a national security threat and create a ‘ranger-trained’ division in the army.  He is expected to do this through an Executive Order.

As for Pacquiao, a devout Christian, he says that he will immediately author and sponsor a Senate bill that would permanently outlaw the death penalty.

Capital punishment was suspended via Republic Act No. 9346, which was signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on 24 June 2006. The bill followed a vote held in Congress earlier that month which overwhelmingly supported the abolition of the practice. The penalties of life imprisonment and reclusion perpetua (detention of indefinite length, usually for at least 30 years) replaced the death penalty.

Duterte, along with other newly-elected politicians, favor the reinstatement of the death penalty.

The champion boxer says he will call his proposed legislation, “Saved by the Bill.”

ILOILO CITY, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – It was supposed to be a campaign rally to appeal to voters to elect administration candidate Mar Roxas.  Instead, President NoyNoy Aquino, in a fiery speech on May 3, conceded the presidential elections to frontrunner Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.  The president had finally given up all hope for Roxas.

Despite his concession, Aquino said that he wouldn’t stand idly by if President Duterte becomes a dictator and throw away the freedom fought for by his martyred father. He said he was willing to lay down his life to stop the country from going back to the failed martial law experiment.

This is a first in world politics, where a non-candidate concedes an election on behalf of a candidate even before the actual vote happens.

“I’m just being realistic about it,” Aquino told The Adobo Chronicles.