Bill to make spitting a crime BY PRINCE GOLEZ Manila Reporter MANILA – A bill filed in the House of Representatives seeks to criminalize spitting in public places. The representative of party-list Alliance of Volunteer Educators (AVE) wanted those found guilty to face a jail term of six months, and be slapped with a fine of P500 for the first offense; P1,000 for the second offense; and P2,000 for the third and succeeding offenses. AVE spokesperson Isoceles Marasigan told Panay News they are “in the process” of urging members of the Senate to file a counterpart measure. Marasigan said he is confident the proposed law will be passed in the 16th Congress because it has “valid commonsensical concerns.” House Bill 299 introduced by Cong. Eulogio Magsaysay also proposes that the violator attend a health seminar conducted by the Department of Health. Under the bill, spitting in the following is a crime: city streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks, malls, markets, streets, public carriers, public halls, buildings, banks, public squares, terminals, shopping and business centers, schools, churches and hospitals. “With the occurrence of global pandemics like SARS, bird flu and other contagious and airborne diseases, there is an urgent need to change hazardous society habits like spitting,” Magsaysay said. The solon cited a government report that the number of deaths due to tuberculosis (TB) stands at an average of 75 Filipinos a day. The country has a “long way to go” in eradicating TB amid the Health department’s announcement that it can attain the millennium development goal of reducing TB deaths by half within in two years’ time, he said, citing a World Health Organization report. Under the bill, the local government units will lead in the implementation of the proposed law. The Department of Health and the Department of Science and Technology are tasked to conduct seminars and provide guidelines including the Implementing Rules and Regulations on the law’s enforcement./PN
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 02:58:34 +0000
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