Panel OKs bill for stiffer penalties vs cell phone theft

MANILA, Philippines - A bill seeking to impose harsher penalties on cell phone theft and robbery moved closer to becoming a law after passing the committee level at the House of Representatives. House Bill 5409, which also covers portable computers and similar devices, got the nod of the House Committee on Revision of Laws chaired by Rep. Raul Gonzalez (Iloilo City). In approving the proposal, committee members underscored the importance of the measure to deter criminal activities, which pose a threat to the personal security of people, according to a press statement at the House of Representatives website (www.congress.gov.ph). Under the bill, any person convicted of theft and robbery of a portable telecommunication device will given a penalty that is the next higher in degree than that provided by the present law. The bill provides that any person charged for the said crimes will not be allowed to avail of the provisions on plea-bargaining and the privilege granted under the Probation Law. The measure is a substitute for House Bills 3188 filed Rep. Maria Evita Arago (Laguna) and 3265 filed by Deputy Speaker and Rep. Raul Del Ma (Cebu City). Portable telecommunications devices include cellular phones, personal digital assistants, portable computers, two-way very high frequency (VHF) radios and other portable communication equipment utilized to transmit messages, documents, photo, images, videos or information through air, radio, or satellite frequencies. - GMANews.TV