MANILA, Philippines — A little over a week after Vice President Sara Duterte issued death threats against the president, a House lawmaker proposed a bill on Wednesday, December 4, to define and penalize the solicitation to murder.
Rep. Jude Acidre (Tingog Partylist) filed House Bill 11166, or the Anti-Solicitation to Murder Act, to address cases where an individual incites the killing of another person.
The bill defines solicitation to murder as “any act of requesting, encouraging, persuading, or inducing another person whether directly or indirectly, to commit the crime of murder, with or without any compensation or promise of reward.”
Duterte said at a late-night press conference on November 22 that she had already asked someone to kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez in the event of her death.
She even reiterated that she was “not joking.”
“Ang ganitong pahayag ay hindi maaaring balewalain. Kung kaya ito gawin ng basta-basta lang sa pinakamataas na opisyal ng bansa, what is stopping anyone from doing the same sa mga walang kalaban-laban nating kababayan?” he said.
(Such a statement cannot be ignored. If this can be done so easily to the highest official in the country, what is stopping anyone from doing the same to our defenseless fellow citizens?)
However, after Marcos and state authorities responded to the death threats by heightening security and starting an investigation, Duterte said that her statement was “taken out of context.”
She also said that she never used the word “assassin.”
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The bill also defined the solicitation to murder as a crime under Section 4. It said that the act will be considered a crime even if the person who was asked to murder another does not agree to do it or acts on it.
At least 8 years in prison and a fine
The proposed penalties include reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment, as outlined in Articles 248 and 249 of the Revised Penal Code, for cases where the solicited killing results in the targeted person’s death or another person is killed.
For solicitation leading to frustrated murder, the penalty is reclusion temporal, equivalent to imprisonment for 17 years, 4 months, and 1 day to 20 years, along with a fine ranging from P1 million to P2 million.
Similarly, solicitation resulting in attempted murder will also be penalized, but with a slightly shorter prison term and a fine of P500,000 to P2 million.
In cases where solicitation for murder does not result in the act being carried out, the penalty will be prisión mayor in its medium period, or imprisonment for 8 years and 1 day to 10 years and 1 day, along with a fine ranging from P500,000 to P1 million.
“Public officials must lead by example and uphold the rule of law,” Acidre said.
“Ang panukalang batas na ito ay magbibigay ng malinaw na mensahe: hindi dapat hayaan na ang pananakot at karahasan ay bahagi ng ating lipunan, lalo na kung ito’y nagmumula sa mga may kapangyarihan,” he added.
(This proposed bill sends a clear message: intimidation and violence should not be tolerated in our society, especially when it comes from those in power.)
Duterte is under investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation and has been summoned to attend a rescheduled hearing on December 11 to explain her threatening remarks.
Two impeachment complaints have also been filed at the House of Representatives, including in their reasons for impeachment the death threats she made.