Stiffer penalties for bomb jokes – House leadership

The leadership of the House of Representatives remained positive on the chances of the passage of the proposed Anti-False Bomb Threat Act during the remaining session days of Congress in May and June.

House Majority Leader and Capiz Rep. Fredenil Castro disclosed that House Bill 9059 will be approved on third and final reading when session resumes in May.

He aired the optimism that the Senate will also fast-track the passage of its own version of the bill authored by Sen. Grace Poe.

Filed on August 23, 2016, Senate Bill No. 1060 is still pending with the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs.

On the other hand, HB 9059 was unanimously approved on second reading before Congress went on election break last February.

HB 9059 or the proposed Anti-False Bomb Threat Act seeks to prohibit the dissemination of false information on bomb threats, explosive or any other lifethreatening or destructive materials.

Authors said the bill proposes to amend Presidential Decree 1727 that was issued in 1980 by then late President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

A consolidation of five bills, HB 9059 imposes stiffer penalties for the unlawful act of disseminating false bomb threats, whether or not they trigger panic or cause inconvenience to the public.

Reps. Michelle Antonio (Agbiag Partyist) and Eripe John Amante (PDPLaban, Agusan del Norte), who filed separate bills criminalizing false bomb scares noted that PD 1727 was soft on violators.

PD 1727 imposes a mere P40,000 fine and imprisonment of not more than five years.

HB 9059 proposes a maximum of five years imprisonment and/or a fine of not more than 11 million on persons who cause a bomb scare directed at high density or sensitive areas and causes the public evacuation of a dwelling, facility or public transport or results to death or deaths in relation to the chaos created by the threat.