Arroyos file bill to criminalize drunk driving

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives is set to deliberate on a measure filed by Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo criminalizing and imposing penalties on drunk driving.

Arroyo filed House Bill 382, co-authored by her son Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Arroyo, which seeks to declare driving while under the influence of alcohol or liquor a criminal act.

The former President said studies have shown that drivers under the influence of alcohol have a significantly higher risk of being involved in a road accident than those who have not consumed alcohol.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) and various studies showed that alcohol intake, depending on the level of intoxication, results in impairment which increases the likelihood of a crash since it produces poor judgment, decreased reaction time, lower vigilance and decreased visual acuity,” Arroyo said.

She cited news reports on tragic road accidents filling the newspapers, television and radio have consistently remained one of the leading causes of deaths in the country.

Arroyo said these road accidents are attributed to several factors and a significant percentage of which include driving under the influence of alcohol.

She cited Philippine statistics that showed there has been an increase of 6.2 percent in 2009 in alcohol-related accidents nationwide resulting to death, physical injuries and damage of properties.

“While other countries have institutionalized their policy regarding driving under the influence of alcohol (DUIA), the Philippines has seemingly remained reserved and lenient in punishing drunk drivers. Road accidents are often treated as a result of reckless imprudence and not viewed as irresponsible and deliberate acts, giving emphasis to drunk driving,” Arroyo said.

She said though the government has already enacted Republic Act 4136 or the “Land Transportation and Traffic Code,” the law is insufficient in defining what constitutes drunk driving.

Under the measure otherwise known as “Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUIA) Act of 2010,” a person can be charged with drunk driving when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated with alcohol by reason of which the driver’s mental and motor skills are impaired, or when the driver’s blood alcohol concentration level is 0.06 or more.

It also provides that every applicant for a driver’s license shall complete a course of instruction that provides information on driving and safety matters including the effects of consumption of alcoholic beverages on the ability of a person to operate a motor vehicle and the hazards of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Furthermore, all drivers involved in vehicular accidents resulting to loss of lives or physical injuries of serious nature shall be subjected to chemical tests to determine the presence and concentration of alcohol.

The bill also imposes a P5,000 fine and two months’ suspension of the driver’s license for first offenders. For a second offense, the penalty shall be P6,000 fine and three months’ suspension of driver’s license.

For a third offense, the penalty shall be P7,000 and six months’ suspension of driver’s license and for succeeding offenses, the penalty shall be P7,000 and automatic revocation of driver’s license. - By Paolo Romero (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Miss Australia Reveals "Sabotage" During Miss U

For most Miss Universe contestants, being in the spotlight doesn't end on the pageant's coronation night. For the winners, their victory is followed by warm welcomes in their home countries and a lot of different activities honoring their victory. For the non-winners, they revert to doing what they did before the pageant like being active on their careers and advocacies. But for winners and non-winners alike, the lure of the entertainment business is hard to resist. Such is the case for most Filipina beauty queens who are welcomed to the entertainment business just as soon as the pageant they competed in was over - and apparently, so as for other beauty titlists in other countries. Miss Australia Jesinta Campbell, who placed second runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant last month, has recently embraced a new stint as an entertainment reporter in her home country. But this isn't the freshest news about the Australian beauty queen. On one of her interviews on NovaFM, Campbell claims that someone from her 82 rivals for the Miss U crown tried to ''sabotage'' her during the pageant by tampering with the national dress she wore for the competition. ''There was a bit of sabotage backstage,'' she told NovaFM. You know my national costume? When I went to put it on, I found about six pins all in the back of it and they scratched all the back of my back...and yeah someone had been in there.'' But being as graceful as any beauty queen should be, Campbell didn't point any fingers regarding the sabotage drama. ''I don't know who it was because all of our stuff was backstage together so it could have been anyone.'' The idea of sabotaging fellow contestants in pageants is not new. It is rather quite popular especially in big events like the Miss Universe pageant, where the competition is fierce. In 2007, Ingrid Marie Rivera, who was Puerto Rico's representative to the Miss Universe pageant that year, claimed that someone doused her make-up and clothes with pepper spray. It was followed by an investigation that was, however, dismissed because of lack of evidence. In 2008, during the Miss South Florida Fair Pageant, someone smeared lipstick to Jessica Wittenbrink's gown. She, like Miss Puerto Rico, also got the crown. But little things like these are not enough to stop these beauty queens to reach their goals. As Miss Puerto Rico told Reuters in 2007, ''It was a lot of sacrifice, and my tears were genuine...at one point, I asked, 'Am I a masochist?' But I said regardless of the results, this is my goal. The more rocks there are in my path, the more thanks I will give to God for sustaining me.''

...while Miss Australia just laughed it off. ''The sabotage was a bit harsh, but you have to laugh at these things and not take it too seriously and it did give me a story to tell when I got home,'' Campbell said about the sabotage during an appearance as entertainment reporter for Australia's Channel 7's The Morning Show. Sources: News NovaFM

-Manila Bulletin

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