Sotto files bill seeking 10 years imprisonment for perjury

MAN ON THE RUN An arrest order is out for Peter Joemel Advincula, alias “Bikoy,” not for implicating members of the President’s family and their associates to the drug trade but for alleged estafa and illegal recruitment. —EDWIN BACASMAS

MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Vicente Sotto III has filed a bill seeking to increase the years of imprisonment for perjury by up to 10 years.

Sotto filed Senate Bill No. 8 which aimed at amending Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code. It imposes a jail term of 6 years for those who are found guilty of the crime of perjury.

Sotto said a shorter jail term for perjury could allow suspects to change their “narrative in the middle of their testimonies.”

“A lot of people – prominent or otherwise – would subsequently and without batting an eyelash change their stories made under oath like it was not a big deal. This may be partly due to the imposable penalty that goes with the crime of perjury,” Sotto said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Senate President said the Philippines might learn from the US state of California which considered lying under oath as a capital offense or Queensland, Australia which made perjury punishable by up to life imprisonment.

It can be recalled that Sotto wanted stiffer penalties for perjury following the appearance of Peter Joemel Advincula, who claimed to be hooded man “Bikoy” who accused President Rodrigo Duterte’s close relatives and allies of involvement in the drug trade.

Advincula also made a sworn affidavit accusing Aquino administration of their involvement in illegal drugs.

READ: Sotto seeks stiffer penalties for perjury amid ‘Bikoy’ claims