Can a P100,000 fine and a six month prison term keep drivers of motor vehicles sober?
The House of Representatives is convinced it will as it approved on second reading House Bill 8914 proposing to impose stiffer penalties for drunk or drugged driving.
Authored by Deputy Speaker Michael Odylon Romero; Rep. Enrico Pineda (1PACMAN Partylist) and Raneo Abu (NP, Batangas), HB 8914 was referred for plenary debates on Monday, March 8 and was approved on second reading the following day.
Romero said the bill seeks to make the country’s road safer from motorists who are intoxicated or are high on drugs while operating their vehicles.
The consolidated bill proposes to amend Republic Act 10586 or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013 by increasing penalties for the said offenses.
Romero said the bill also provides for the procurement by the Land Transportation Office of breath analyzers that will help determine if motorists are under the influence of alcohol.
“This House bill seeks to rationalize and broaden the implementatin of all anti-drug and drugged driving measures to further foster our law enforcement guidelines and policies,” Romero said.
Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento, transportation committee chairman, lauded his colleagues for the swift approval of the measure.
Under HB 8914 motorists found to be intoxicated or high on drugs will face imprisonment of at least six months and fined from P50,000 to P100,000.
The current law imposes a maximum three months imprisonment and a fine ranging from P20,000 to P80,000.
If the violation resulted in physical injuries the prison term will be the same imposed under Article 2634 of the Revised Penal Code or a fine of P150,000 to P250,000 or both.
RA 10586 imposes a fine of P100,000 to P200,000. For drunk and drugged driving acts that caused the death of an individual, the prison term to be imposed will be similar to Article 249 of the RPC while the fine will be somewhere between P350,000 to P500,000.
For non-professional drivers found violating the legal provisions of the measure, additional penalty of confiscation and suspension of driver’s license will be extended to 18 months, which is six months longer than the current punishment.