Siquijor solon on justice system reforms: Old revised penal code must be replaced

TACLOBAN CITY — An affordable loan program will be launched in Tacloban City next week, being one of the three pilot areas nationwide to abolish the so-called "56" money lending scheme popularized by Indian nationals in the country.

Other pilot areas are San Jose town in Occidental Mindoro, for Luzon, and Alabel town in Saranggani for Mindanao.

The new program is tentatively scheduled for launching at the Tacloban public market on January 25. Arrangements are being made for President Rodrigo Duterte to lead the launching, said Department of Trade and Industry-Region 8 Director Cynthia Nierras.

Duterte, who ordered for a crackdown of loan sharks last week, is set to visit post-Yolanda housing projects in the northern part of the city on January 25.

The city government provided a space at the public market for the office of Small Business Corporation (SBC), the DTI's financing arm. This will be manned by three staff, two of whom are tasked to collect payment around the market on a daily basis.

"Tacloban is a pilot area for the Visayas because our market vendors are most in need of this kind of assistance due to the reeling impact of supertyphoon Yolanda," Nierras said.

The 2017 General Appropriations Act has included an initial funding of P1 billion for financial assistance, a part of the planned P19 billion financing initiative for micro and small businesses in the next five years.

The program's fund will be lent out in the business centers in selected provinces, where the participating microfinance institutions (MFIS) and the SBC can operate.

The government earlier identified 30 poorest provinces in the country as priority areas for the micro-financing program, including Leyte, (Western) Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar.

Among the priority beneficiaries are those who do not have easy access to credit, or are accessing credit at very high cost, such as microentrepreneurs, market vendors, agribusinessmen and members of cooperatives, industry associations and co-operators.

Loanable amount per endborrower can range from P5,000, for start-ups, to P300,000, with maximum interest rate of 26 percent every year without collateral requirement.

This rate is significantly below the hefty 20 percent per day, week, or month charged by "5-6" lenders. It is also lower than what is charged by most MFIs in the country.

In a meeting with his Cabinet on January 9, Duterte took up the "5-6" money lending scheme and ordered the arrest and deportation of foreigners involved in this practice, especially Punjabis from India. —

Meniano/PNA

Sarwell Q.

Siquijor Representative Rav Rocamora has called for a new criminal code to replace the old Revised Penal Code(RPC)orActNo.3815,contending thatthelatterhasbeenproveninsufficient to address crimes in the modern context.

"It is popular knowledge that our justice system is inherently weak.Aside from corruption, lack of support and bias towards the rich and powerful, one of the weaknesses is the archaic criminal laws. The clearest example is our RPC, which was enacted in 1930, during the Insular Government when Filipinos did not yet enjoy self-rule from the Americans," he said.

Rocamora said the RPC was a "product of its historical and social context, reflecting an antiquated appreciation of crimes," or that the 21st century laws are still embedded in the 20th century.

He cited some examples: "The RPC still criminalizes challenging to a duel; has unequal treatment for marital infidelity committed by the wife (adultery) and that committed by the husband (concubinage)."

Rocamora, who once served as public prosecutor for 24 years, said the new criminal code, as part of the Justice Reform Package, will address pressing concerns in fighting crime in the modern world, such as "improving and simplifying the definition of crimes and penalties, confronting transnational crimes, and making it more gender responsive."

The congressman also proposed for "more support for our courts, hiring more public lawyers and prosecutors, better training and equipment for our law enforcement agencies, and improving our rehabilitation and detention centers."

Rocamora said he will file a bill to replace the RPC as soon as ongoing discussions spearheaded by the University of the Philippines Law Center on the matter are concluded. —

Contributed by Carlo Vargas