LAWMAKERS vowed to push for the passage of a bill imposing life imprisonment for carnapping irrespective of the value of the vehicle.
Records of the House of Representatives show that HB 6909, which increases the penalty to life imprisonment, has been approved on third reading on the eve of the June 6 sine die adjournment of the 15th Congress.
HB 6909 is a consolidation of 13 separate but similar bills filed jointly or individually by some 53 members of the House. However, time limitation gave the measure no chance of passage by the Senate.
Article 27 of the Revised Penal Code (RA 3815) qualifies that under reclusion perpetua, “any person sentenced to any of the perpetual penalties shall be pardoned after undergoing the penalty for 30 years, unless such person by reason of his conduct or some other serious cause shall be considered by the Chief Executive as unworthy of pardon.”
Several of the leading sponsors or authors of the measure include, among others, Reps. Rufus Rodriguez, Jorge Banal, Salvio Fortuno, Emmeline Aglipay, Rodolfo Fariñas, Karlo Alexei Nograles, Winston Castelo, Romero Quimbo, Ben Evardone, Marlyn Primicias-Agabas, chairperson of the sponsor-Committee on Revision of Laws, and senator-elect Juan Edgardo Angara.
“The growing incidence or prevalence of carnapping which, in many cases, result in death or serious injuries to victims and innocent persons calls for a commensurate penalty. In these cases, life imprisonment,” Rodriguez said.
One key provision of the proposed statute provides for the maximum penalty without the benefit of parole to any person found guilty of carnapping by means of violence against or intimidation of any person, or force upon things and the owner, driver or occupant of the carnapped motor vehicles killed or raped in the course of the commission of the crime of carnapping.
Likewise, any person who violates any provision of the proposed act shall be punished with imprisonment of not less than prision mayor in its maximum period of 6 years and one day to 12 years and a fine equal in amount to the acquisition cost of the motor vehicle, motor vehicle engine or any other part involved in the violation.
The measure states “it shall be unlawful for any person, office or entity to buy or sell any second hand spare parts taken from a carnapped vehicle. It shall also be unlawful to transfer or use a vehicle plate from one to another without securing the proper authority from the Land Transportation Office (LTO).”
Likewise, it shall be unlawful for any person, office or entity, to cause and/or allow the sale, registration, and transfer into another name, the chassis number, engine number and plate number of a motor vehicle declared as total wreck or beyond economic repair by concerned car insurance company, and/or law enforcement agencies, due to its involvement in a vehicular accident or for some other causes.
Furthermore, the measure mandates that all inter-island and international shipping vessels shall not carry on board vehicles without clearance from the Philippine National Police.
It also provides that any person who shall undertake to assemble or rebuild or cause the assembly rebuilding of a motor vehicle shall first secure a certificate clearance from the PNP.
The proposed statute clearly provides for the duties of importers, distributors and sellers of motors vehicles to keep record of stocks. It also provides for the duties of the Collectors of Customs on matters of records as mandated under the measure.
Any person engaged in the manufacture of engine block, chassis or body manufacture in a convenient and conspicuous part thereof, which the LTO may direct for the purpose of uniformity and identification of the factory and shall submit to the LTO a monthly report of the manufacture and sale of engine blocks, chassis or body.
The post Lawmakers want life imprisonment for carnapping appeared first on Remate.