MANILA, Philippines ? President Gloria Macapagal- -Arroyo enacted Friday a law penalizing war crimes, genocide and other crimes against humanity and creating special courts to try cases against local or foreign suspects.

RA 9851 is consistent with principles of international law, including the Hague Convention of 1907, the Geneva Convention on the protection of victims of war and international humanitarian law.

?The most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished and their effective prosecution must be ensured by taking measures at the national level, in order to put an end to impunity for perpetrators of these crimes, and thus contribute to the prevention of these crimes,? it said.

RA 9851 imposes a penalty of reclusion temporal and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P500,000 on any person found guilty of any of these crimes.

The head of a state, a member of parliament or a government official is not exempt from criminal liability, according to the law.