MIRIAM SEEKS STIFFER PENALTIES FOR GRAVE ROBBERS

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago wants to create a separate act of robbery under the Revised Penal Code for the robbery of cemetery items or the ones committed in cemeteries, graveyards or burial grounds.

Santiago's Senate Bill No. 2937 defines grave robbery as "the taking of all or part of a tomb, coffin, monument, gravestone, or all or part of a commemorative, decorative, or other cemetery-related article or committed in a cemetery, graveyard or burial ground."

"The law needs to be more specific when it comes to robbery and desecration of graves and tombs. Apart from stealing or destroying property, grave robbers aggravate the grief of those who lost their loved ones and dishonor the final resting place of the deceased," Santiago said.

Also known as the Anti-Grave Robbers Act, Santiago's bill also increases the penalty of grave robbers depending on the value of the property taken and the location of the grave or burial ground. The minimum penalty for grave robbery is 6 years and one day to 12 years, while the maximum penalty imposed shall be 20 years and one day to 40 years.

"For a country that considers both All Saints Day and All Souls Day as national holidays, it is appropriate for our laws to reflect the Filipino's deep-seated culture of reverence and respect for the dead," Santiago said.