Tweaking of reparations law pushed

PBA party-list Rep. Margarita “Migs” Nograles

MANILA, Philippines — Assistant Majority Leader and PBA party-list Rep. Margarita Nograles wants to raise the compensation for those unjustly jailed or injured in violent crimes by amending a 30-year-old law that limits a wrongfully imprisoned person’s claim to up to P1,000 for each month behind bars and a maximum of P10,000 for the latter.

In her House Bill No. 10831, Nograles stressed the need to update the compensation system under Republic Act No. 7309, a 1992 law that created the Board of Claims under the Department of Justice (DOJ), for those unjustly detained or who were victims of violent crimes.

Noting that RA 7903 has not been amended since, Nograles said the compensation, “while adequate in 1992 … may not be enough, considering the rise in prices over the 30 years since its passing.”

Under her bill, the award ceiling for those unjustly jailed would be raised to P50,000 per month of imprisonment. For violent crime victims, compensation would be set at up to P500,000.

The bill also tasked the claims board, with the approval of the budget department and in consultation with the DOJ, to review and, if necessary, adjust the award ceiling every three years, “taking into account the present consumer price index as published by the Philippine Statistics Authority and other relevant economic indicators.”