WHEREAS, the maintenance of peace and order and the stability of the government depends greatly on the security of the lives of our national leaders;

WHEREAS, the use of illegal firearms, explosives and other deadly weapons as means for the commission and/or furtherance of subversion, rebellion, insurrection, lawless violence and widespread public disorder greatly imperils the existence and survival of the State;

WHEREAS, in view of the recent bombings and other acts of terrorism and lawlessness committed or being carried out by radicals and criminal elements, resulting in death and serious injuries to innocent civilians, damage to property, disruption of normal activities, and fear or panic among the populate, there is an urgent necessity to amend Presidential Decree No. 9, to provide an effective deterrent to the use of firearms and deadly weapons in the commission of certain offenses by providing capital punishment therefor;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree as follows:

SECTION 1. Presidential Decree No. 9 is hereby further amended in order to add a new paragraph to read as follows:

"5. The mandatory penalty of death shall be imposed upon any person who uses an unlicensed firearm or firearms used or carried inviolation of General Orders Nos. 6 and 7, or any deadly weapon as defined in the preceding paragraphs 2 and 3, in committing terroristic activities in furtherance of subversion, rebellion or insurrection, or sedition, or in committing an attempt on the life of the President/Prime Minister, any member of his Cabinet, any member of the Interim Batasang Pambansa, any officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with at least the rank of Brigadier General or its equivalent, a member of the Supreme Court or of any of the Constitutional Commissions, or any immediate member of the family of the said officials, or who uses such firearm or deadly weapon against the person of any of the government officials enumerated herein, or any immediate member of the family of said official during the commission of, or for the purpose of committing subversion, rebellion or insurrection, or sedition.

SEC. 2. This decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 16th day of January, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-one.

			(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President of the Philippines
	By the President:
	(Sgd.) JUAN C. TUVERA
		Presidential Executive Assistant

 

Vol. 25, Vital Documents, Presidential Decree 1980-1981