Senator Robinhood 'Robin' Padilla on Tuesday filed a bill that seeks to impose stiffer penalties for government employees, particularly those military and uniformed personnel (MUPs) who will give false testimonies in a congressional hearing.
In a press statement, Padilla said he filed Senate Bill 2265, or Truthful Congressional Inquiry Act which proposed to impose a penalty of 20 years in jail against personnel of the following government agencies who will lie before Congress:
- Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
- Philippine National Police (PNP)
- Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)
- Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)
- Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP)
- Bureau of Corrections (BuCor)
- National Mapping and Resource Information Agency (NAMRIA)
- National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
- Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)
- Bureau of Immigration (BI)
- Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
- Bureau of Customs (BOC)
"While the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines currently criminalizes perjury and false testimony, the current penalties are not commensurate with the consequences of receiving false testimonies from government personnel during Congressional proceedings in addressing and protecting the public interest," the Senator said.
Padilla also proposed 10 years of jail term for government employees who will testify falsely to Congress regarding crimes including rape.
In addition to the jail term, he also seeks for a penalty of ₱3 million fine and enforcement of perpetual absolute disqualification.
The bill was filed after several Philippine National Police (PNP) were cited for contempt last April in Senate over alleged inconsistencies in their statements during a hearing on the killing of former Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and other brazen violence in Negros Oriental.
Lawmakers also held some PNP officers for contempt for giving contradictory testimonies in the hearing on the alleged cover-up of 990 kilos of shabu seized in Manila earlier this month.
