PWERSA ng Pilipinong Pandagat (PPP) Party-list Rep. Harold T. Duterte, together with Davao City 1st and 2nd District Representatives Paolo Z. Duterte and Omar S. Duterte, filed House Bill No. 6975 on Tuesday, seeking to amend Article 114 of the treason provisions of the Revised Penal Code (RPC).
The proposed measure seeks to address acts that undermine national sovereignty and betray the State’s duty to protect its own citizens.
“This measure will classify as treason the following act: Any Filipino citizen who surrenders or facilitates the surrender of a Filipino national to a foreign state or international body, resulting in or leading to the interrogation, imprisonment, torture, or death of that Filipino national,” explains PPP Party-list Rep. Duterte.
Under the bill, any person found guilty of this act shall suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua to death and shall be fined up to Four Million Pesos (₱4,000,000).
“If the offender is a public officer, the bill mandates immediate removal from office, without prejudice to criminal prosecution,” Rep. Paolo Duterte added.
The measure is anchored on a fundamental principle: every Filipino must be able to rely on their country — and its officials — for protection, not betrayal. No government official should have the power to surrender a Filipino to foreign entities, especially when such actions are driven by political expediency or external pressure.
“Public office is a public trust. Those who swear an oath to serve the Republic are expected to defend Filipino citizens, uphold national sovereignty, and place loyalty to country above partisan or political interests,” Rep. Harold further explained.
The Duterte lawmakers stressed that this expectation is not excessive — it is the bare minimum demanded of anyone entrusted with the authority of the State.
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