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New law updates Penal Code; hikes fines for treason, false news
Published August 31, 2017 8:16pm
By TRISHA MACAS, GMA News
President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law amendments to the Revised Penal Code that will now carry harsher penalties for certain crimes such as treason and publishing false news.
Malacañang on Thursday published Republic Act No. 10951 or “An Act Adjusting the Amount or the Value of Property and Damage on which a Penalty is Based, and Fines Imposed Under the Revised Penal Code."
Duterte signed it into law on August 29.
The new law mandates that certain less serious felonies would now have a fine of P40,000 instead of P200 as provided in the Revised Penal Code of 1930.
Meanwhile, Filipinos committing treason would be punished by reclusion perpetua to death and pay a fine of at most P4 million from the original of P20,000.
Moreover, publishing false news that could endanger public order or cause damage to the interest or credit of the State would be fined P40,000 to P200,000.
RA 10951 also increased the baseline of the amount or value of damage to be penalized.
For instance, swindling or estafa now has a penalty of prision correccional in its maximum period to prision mayor in its minimum period if the amount of fraud is over P2.4 million but does not exceed P4.4 million, from P12,000-P22,000 in the Revised Penal Code.
“This Act shall have retroactive effect to the extent that is favorable to the accused or person serving sentence by judgment," the document read.
Senator Franklin Drilon in January said that amendments to the Revised Penal Code through his proposed Senate Bill No. 14, co-authored by Senator Leila de Lima, would benefit at least 50,000 indigent prisoners convicted of petty crimes.
The amendments will take effect 15 days after the Act is published in at least two news papers of general circulation. —NB, GMA News
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