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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Law enforcers who act as accessories to heinous crimes to get stiffer penalties under bill 

Law enforcers who act as accessories to heinous crimes to get stiffer penalties under bill 

Published Jan 30, 2024 03:57 pm

At A Glance

  • So-called law enforcers who participate in the cover-up of heinous crimes such as drug trafficking should be slapped with the harsher penalty of up to 20 years in prison instead of the current maximum 12-year jail term, according to Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan.

tim-hufner-3R_GnBNRVI0-unsplash.jpg(Unsplash)

So-called law enforcers who participate in the cover-up of heinous crimes such as drug trafficking should be slapped with the harsher penalty of up to 20 years in prison instead of the current maximum 12-year jail term.

Thus, said Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan, a former assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

"Law enforcers and other persons in authority are responsible for maintaining public order and preventing crime. They should be held to a higher standard of behavior and conduct as protectors of the people,” said Yamsuan, who authored House Bill (HB) No.7972.

Referring to these misfits, the rookie solon said: "When they turn out to be the problem themselves by acting as accessories to the commission of heinous crimes, they become hoodlums in uniform who deserve to be severely punished under the law."

The Yamsuan bill intends to amend Article 19 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) to include a section on persons in authority acting as accessories to the commission of heinous crimes.

Under HB No.7972, persons in authority who act as accessories “shall suffer the penalty of one degree lower than that prescribed by law for the consummated felony,” if the offense is a heinous crime under existing laws.

The RPC currently imposes a penalty of two degrees lower than that prescribed by law if the offenders acted as accessories.

Yamsuan noted that since heinous crimes such as drug trafficking are meted with the highest penalty of reclusion perpetua or imprisonment of between 20 to 40 years, accessories are penalized two degrees lower under the current law, or just 6 to 12 years in prison.

He instead wants law enforcers and other persons in authority who acted as accessories to the commission of heinous offenses to be punished with the stiffer penalty of one degree lower than the principal.

This means that such persons will be penalized with reclusion temporal or imprisonment of between 12 to 20 years under the bill, which was also filed by Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte.

Based on Republic Act (RA) No.7659, "heinous crimes" include the importation, distribution, manufacturing and possession of illegal drugs.

Other offenses classified as heinous crimes are treason, piracy in general and mutiny on the high seas in Philippine waters, qualified piracy; qualified bribery, parricide, murder, infanticide, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, robbery with violence against or intimidation of persons, destructive arson, and rape.

Related Tags

heinous crimes Bicol Saro Party-list Brian Raymund Yamsuan
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