Sunday, March 30, 2008

Jail Destination for Unlawful Use of Military Uniforms

If plans snowball, civilians using military or police uniforms could get to jail.

  Just as criminal syndicates perpetuate their criminal activities by passing off as members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), two prime Central Visayas (CV) councils jointly propose a regulation on police and military uniforms.

  Both (CV) members of the Regional Development Council (RDC) and the Peace and Order Council (RPOC) agree that an amendment of the Republic Act 493 would provide a strong deterrent to crimes associated with the illegal use of AFP and the PNP uniforms.

  The move is an attempt to curb activities of criminals simply passing off as members of the police or the military, especially when they wear uniforms in their criminal activities, members said. 

  While Republic Act 493 regulates the wearing, use, manufacture and selling of insignias, decorations, medals, patches, badges and identification cards prescribed for the AFP and the PNP, the act does not cover the use and wearing of military and police uniforms as well as the manufacture and selling of military and police uniforms and textiles, and the penalties provided by the law is perceived to be light, the RDC members agreed. 

  The amendment would center on expanding the coverage on the prohibitions of the use of military and police uniforms by unauthorized persons, regulate the sale of manufacture and the sale of PNP and AFP uniforms and the similar textiles used in the uniforms as well as to impose a heavier penalty against unlawful use of such.

  Even Police Regional Director Ronald Roderos admitted that that penalties provided by EO 297 appeared light as he endorsed the proposal to impose heavier penalties to the unlawful wearing of uniforms. 

  In the Revised Penal Code, crime of usurpation is punishable only by prision correccional in its minimum and medium periods or more than a year imprisonment.

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