SENATOR Jose Jinggoy Estrada has urged the government and the public to beware of people who pretend to be uniformed personnel by wearing police and military uniforms, and even using insignias as accessories.

Estrada said persons outside of the police and military forces who would be caught wearing their uniforms should be slapped with more serious penalties.

The solon filed Senate Bill No. 2149 proposing to have the current penalty of arresto mayor, which carries the penalty of imprisonment of one month and one day to six months, escalated to prision mayor in its minimum and medium periods or a jail term of six years and one day to 10 years.

“The current penalty under Article 179 of the Revised Penal Code is not commensurate to the kind of offense committed and the damage that may be incurred to the victim, especially if the perpetrator is a public official. If the perpetrator is a public official, the penalty to be imposed shall be prision mayor in its maximum period,” the lawmaker said.

The chairperson of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security said he has been pushing for the approval of his proposal since the 14th Congress.

Estrada said this measure aims to harmonize the provisions under Republic Act 493, the law prohibiting the use or conferring of military or naval grades or titles by or upon persons not in service of the AFP and Philippine Constabulary, now the PNP.

In a separate bill, Senate Bill No. 2151, Estrada proposed the expansion of the coverage of RA 493 to include the ban on the use, wearing, manufacture, and sale of uniforms and textiles of uniforms of the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Coast Guard.

“Not a few came to my office complaining that persons, wearing uniforms and/or using insignia pretending to be police officers, accosted and extorted money from them. It is also common that private individuals pretend to be police officers by wearing uniforms and/or using insignia in perpetrating serious crimes like kidnapping, robbery, or even murder to avoid resistance from the victims,” he said.

“Mas mabigat na parusa ang dapat kaharapin nila dahil hindi lamang nila dinudungisan ang imahe ng ating mga alagad ng batas, paglapastangan din ito sa mga sumisimbolo ng disiplina, organisasyon at kahusayan ng mga taong nanumpa ng katapatan sa bandila, sa publiko at sa bansa,” Estrada added.

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PS Jun M. Sarmiento