LAW enforcement officers guilty of covering up heinous crimes should face harsher penalties under the law, a party-list congressman said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund S. Yamsuan pushed for the passage of House Bill (HB) No. 7972, which seeks to amend Article 19 of the Revised Penal Code.
At present, the law imposes a penalty of 40 years in jail for heinous crimes such as drug trafficking and 12 years imprisonment 鈥 a penalty two degrees lower 鈥 for being an accessory to the same crimes.
What HB 7972 proposes is that law enforcers involved in the destruction or concealment of evidence for heinous crimes be imprisoned for up to 20 years, which is only one degree lower than the penalty for the actual crime. 鈥淭hey [law enforcers] should be held to a higher standard of behavior and conduct,鈥 Mr. Yamsuan said.
The bill is currently pending at the House revision of laws committee.
In November 2023, the House dangerous drugs panel recommended to indict several police officers involved in an alleged cover-up of a drug buy-bust operation in 2022 in Tondo, Manila City, where P6.7 billion worth of illegal drugs were seized. 鈥 Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
