published by the Bohol Standard
Seeing that existing laws are lenient against the offense of driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or other substances, Boholano First District Congressman Rene Lopez Relampagos is pushing for a stronger and more comprehensive law against it.
If approved, House Bill 4799 would be known as the Driving Under the Influence of Alcoholic Beverages and/or Drugs Act of 2011 and seeks to address the problem of DUI in the Philippines and remedy the deficiencies of RA 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, as amended, with respect to DUI.
Under RA 4136, being apprehended for driving under the influence of liquor or a narcotic drug carries only the penalty of P1,000 or imprisonment for not less than three months but not more than six months, or both penalties, at the discretion of the court.
The neophyte solon feels that the existing law does not address the serious consequences of the offense.
While the Boholano solon acknowledges that DUI may be one of the most widespread traffic violations in the country, far graver are the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, not only for the intoxicated driver, but also for those sharing the road with him, in that it is the cause of many vehicular accidents resulting in damage to property, serious injuries, and loss of lives.
Relampagos adds that RA 4136 does not provide for what constitutes DUI of alcohol or drugs, DUI of alcohol or drugs causing injury, chemical test procedures for determining alcoholic content in the blood, breath, or urine of the person apprehended, or penalty for repeat offenders.
The proposed bill categorizes and defines penalties for driving under the influence (DUI), driving under intense influence (DUII), driving while intoxicated (DWI), operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OMVI), driving under the combined influence of alcohol and/or other drugs, driving under the influence per se or drunk in charge of a vehicle, operating a vehicle while impaired (OVI), and driving while ability-impaired (DWAI), of alcoholic beverages and similar intoxicating substances and/or drugs that endanger lives and property.
House Bill 4799 incorporates and adopts extensively from two bills against DUI filed in the Senate and House of Representatives in the past Congresses but which were not passed into law. These are Senate Bill No. 1398, sponsored by then Senator Richard Gordon in the 13th Congress and House Bill No. 7083, jointly sponsored by Representatives Monico Puentevella and Felix Alfelor Jr. in the 14th Congress.
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