Duterte signs law on stiffer penalties for treason, other crimes

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law RA 10951, imposing stiffer penalties for persons who committed  treason, sedition, rebellion and other crimes under the Revised Penal Code.

Duterte signed RA 10951 on August 29.

Under the new law, those who committed treason will be punished with reclusion perpetua and a fine not exceeding P4 million. The previous fine was pegged at P20,000. Reclusion perpetua involves imprisonment of 20 to 40 years.

Treason covers “any Filipino citizen  who levies war against the Philippines or adheres to her enemies, giving aid or comfort within the Philippines or elsewhere.”

Under the law, an alien residing in the Philippines who commits acts of treason “shall be punished by reclusion temporal to death and shall pay a fine not exceeding P 4 million.” Reclusion temporal involves imprisonment of 12 years and 1 day to 20 years.

The law says that a person committing conspiracy to commit coup d’ etat, rebellion or insurrection shall be punished  by prision mayor in its minimum period with a fine not exceeding P1 million from the previous P8,000. Prision mayor involves jail term from 6 years to 12 years.

Prision correctional with a fine not exceeding P400,000 shall be imposed on its medium period while a fine not exceeding P1 million on its maximum period. Prision correctional has a jail term 6 months to 6 years.

Those who commit sedition would suffer the penalty of prision mayor in its minimum period and a fine not exceeding P1 million from the previous P10,000.

Stiffer penalties were also imposed on direct assault from P1,000 to P200,00 while fine for maltreatment of prisoners was adjusted from P500 to P100,000.

The new law raises fines for unlawful arrest to ₱100,000 from ₱500 and for falsification by private individuals and use of falsified documents, ₱1 million from ₱5,000.

A stiffer penalty was also imposed for  malversation of public funds from prison correctional to reclusion perpetua if the misused funds range from  ₱40,000 to more than ₱8.8 million.

Any person who committed swindling will have 20-year imprisonment if amount of the fraud is more than P4 million.

Any person causing alarms and scandals will face arresto mayor and a fine not exceeding P40,000 while penalty for prostitution is arresto menor to prisión correctional or a fine not more than ₱20,000.

An abortion practiced by a physician or midwife shall be dealt with arresto mayor and a fine not exceeding ₱100,000.