Solon seeks to hike fine for slander raps

Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Jay Velasco. Photo from congress.gov.ph

MANILA, Philippines—A lawmaker seeks to hike the fine for slander by deed or casting dishonor, discredit or contempt by 80 percent.

House Bill 5831, authored by Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Jay Velasco, proposes the amendment of Article 359 of Act 3815 or the Revised Penal Code to increase its present fine ranging from P200 to P1,000 to P16,000 to P80,000.

Fines will be “based on 1930 prices, the year the Revised Penal Code was enacted. The massive inflation and devaluation our currency has gone through renders the punitive fine component of the RPC negligible,” he said, pointing out that the inflation rate should be computed from 1930 up to the present.

Velasco, who chairs the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, said that other than the raised fine, the bill also seeks to impose the penalty of arresto mayor in its maximum period to prision correccional in its minimum period, depending on the nature of the violation.

He added that it was important for punishments for offenses or crimes as well as imprisonment and civil disqualification components should be up to date in order to uphold the country’s penal laws.