Senate bill imposing stricter penalties for drunk drivers filed
MANILA – Senator Raffy Tulfo has filed a bill seeking for stiffer penalties, including a fine of up to PHP1 million, for motor vehicle drivers found under the influence of alcohol.
Tulfo said that despite the passage of Republic Act (RA) 10586 or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013, drunk driving has been increasingly rampant throughout the years.
Under Senate Bill (SB) 2546 he filed on Tuesday, Tulfo seeks to increase the penalty ranging from PHP500,000 to PHP1 million if the violation resulted in homicide.
Present penalty under RA 10586 ranges from PHP300,000 to PHP500,000.
Tulfo’s SB 2546 provides that driver’s license shall also be confiscated and suspended for a period of 24 months.
He said the Land Transportation Office's
(LTO) Law Enforcement Service-Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Enforcement Unit responded to 402 road crash incidents from January to August 2022, wherein 353 of those drivers involved in these incidents tested positive for alcohol intoxication.
He also cited report of the PNP Highway Patrol Group that the number of road accidents caused by drunk drivers rose from 59 incidents or at least 90 percent increase in November of 2022 compared to the 31 incidents recorded in October of the same year.
"There is an urgent need to pass legislation that calls for stricter penalties on driving under the influence. No one should ever experience the pain and suffering felt by the Palupit family, and all the other families victimized by one person's poor decisions," he said. (PNA)