Ched Rick Gatchalian

Article (news)

Non-bailable "buko" theft, other laws, to be updated by UP and DOJ

Adrian Ayalin

ABS-CBN News

<div> </div>MANILA - The Department of Justice (DOJ) and University of the Philippines (UP) officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Tuesday for the drafting of an updated criminal code as current penal laws have already &quot;obsolete provisions&quot;.Chancellor Edgardo Carlo Vistan II and College of Law Dean Darlene Marie Berberabe signed for UP, while Undersecretaries Raul Vasquez and Jose Cadiz signed for the DOJ with Undersecretary Jesse Andres as witness.Among the obsolete provisions of the country’s criminal code that will have to be updated are about dueling and coconut theft.“Number one, dueling, wala nang nagdu-duel dito eh. Pangalawa, yung theft [of] coconuts. Hindi niyo alam siguro magnakaw ka ng isa o dalawang buko lamang sa isang coconut plantation - &#x27;yan ay qualified theft. Pag nahuli ka walang pyansa iyan, or pagnanakaw ng carabao, mga ganung klase,” Vasquez said.While theft is still a criminal offense, Vasquez noted that qualified theft of coconuts, which is non-bailable, is a rather harsh penalty.“Pwede sigurong maging theft &#x27;yan, pero simple theft lang &#x27;yan hindi na siya qualified, but definitely lahat naman ng pagnanakaw iyan ay labag sa batas. Kapag qualified lang kasi iyan ay walang pyansa. Ang patutunguhan ngayon ng ating mga batas ay towards more on protection and promotion of human rights. Right to liberty is paramount,” Vasquez said.Vistan explained that culture and other values have dictated the country’s penal system as he noted that coconut and copra have relatively greater value in the olden times.“Kailangan nating baguhin ang ating mga batas, kasi nga hindi na ito sumasalamin sa mga paniniwala natin, [ng] mga kabataan ngayon. Kami rin, &#x27;yung time na gano&#x27;n ka-valuable ang copra, coconut,” he said. Berberabe also noted that studies on mental health will also be taken into account, among others. “&#x27;Pag tinitingnan natin iyong mga parusa halimbawa imprisonment, iyon ba ay akma or kailangan ba more to rehabilitate, lalong lalo na sa punong-puno na ang ating mga kulungan so siguro dapat pag-isipan natin ang framework mismo,” she stressed. After collating each other’s recommendations, the DOJ and UP will transmit their draft to Congress for legislative approval.“In the context of transformative reforms that the DOJ is undergoing, ito pong layunin ng  criminal code committee ay napakaimportante, it is access to justice, access to justice po ang layunin ng criminal code committee dahil nga po sa isang ordinaryong mamamayan, hindi po siya magkakaroon ng source ng lahat ng batas,” Andres said.

MANILA - The Department of Justice (DOJ) and University of the Philippines (UP) officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Tuesday for the drafting of an updated criminal code as current penal laws have already "obsolete provisions".

MANILA - The Department of Justice (DOJ) and University of the Philippines (UP) officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Tuesday for the drafting of an updated criminal code as current penal laws have already "obsolete provisions".