Southeast Asia: Philippines Court Orders Life Sentence for Selling Two Grams of Marijuana
The Philippines has effectively imposed a moratorium on the death penalty, but that doesn't mean drug offenders don't still face incredibly harsh punishments there. That was certainly the case this week, when a judge sentenced a 54-year-old man to life in prison for selling 10 sticks of marijuana weighing just 1.79 grams, or less than one-eighth of an ounce.
Regional Trial Court Judge Gabriel Ingles Monday sentenced Rosario Bayot Mahinay to life on Monday. Mahinay was convicted of selling marijuana to undercover agents, a charge he denied. He said two men approached him as he waited for his daughter and offered him money for marijuana, which he refused because he wasn't selling marijuana. One of the men then threw down a plastic bag containing marijuana, and Mahinay was then arrested, he said.
Judge Ingles, however, pronounced himself unconvinced by Mahinay's testimony. He said Mahinay had failed to present any evidence to show ill faith by the undercover officers who did the buy-bust.
Mahinay's may be an extreme case, but law enforcement in the Philippines, abetted by a mass media prone to tabloid-style sensationalism on drug issues, continues to consider marijuana serious business.
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Comment posted by Anonymous on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 5:17pmThat these lunatics in power over there are using heroine and cocaine and all forms of chemical drugs, and really abusing plant users.
It sounds like a horrible situation, one, if I was in, I would lash out being the only thing in that situation that seems logical. The citizens shouldn't take it they should go and wipe out entire police stations as a show of force. Screw this bull from these government systems, its time for the majority of US PEOPLE to rebel against them and slaughter them all like the moronic pathetic cattle they are! They ruin Innocent peoples lives for No Reason. Give them No reasonable doubt and tell them "YOU DID YOU YOU'RE GUILTY" without any further investigation. Who knows the cops prior words with each other could have been "hey lets wrap up the night got the bag?".
This is pathetic beyond further words.
Psycho
Comment posted by Anonymous on Mon, 03/10/2008 - 4:03amAre you aware that you could be charged for inciting to sedition for that little speech you just gave? I suggest you be more careful next time with the words that you choose to use publicly.
Besides, I know the Judge personally. He wouldn't have convicted the accused if there was reasonable doubt to acquit. Under the law, there is this presumption of regularity on the performance of the police officers. It is up to the accused to overthrow this presumption by clear and convincing evidence. Apparently, he failed at that.
Last note, if you feel so much about the atrocities committed by the police force, WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT, aside from sitting on your ass and spewing words of spite? Get a seat in politics and clean the damn system up if you want so much to be a hero.
Otherwise, shut the hell up.
--- Alice
I don’t get it how can
Comment posted by Mr.Farmer on Mon, 10/19/2009 - 11:02pmI don’t get it how can Marijuana possibly be classified as a dangerous drug?
In Philippine law it states
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9165 AN ACT INSTITUTING THE COMPREHENSIVE DANGEROUS DRUGS ACT OF 2002It is the policy of the State to safeguard the integrity of its territory and the well-being of its citizenry particularly the youth, from the harmful effects of dangerous drugs on their physical and mental well-being
Now which one is more harmful a 18+ year old teen mature enough to vote and choose the next leader of his own country smoking a gram of cannabis to relieve himself of the stress of having to work and study at the same time or a minor 5-6 year old kid legally buying a stick of marlbro and getting addicted to it at a very young age so by the time he is 20 if lungs are half damaged. (I say this because every day as I go home, on the jeep ride home I clearly see how easy it is for minors actually any one with money to buy smokes. Almost every day I see little kids buying smokes) now isn’t that more harmful to the youth than some one smoking marijuana?
I believe we all should get together and make laws that protect medical users of marijuana here in Philippine, in fact we should just legalize it and tax it as any other commodity we could see 2-3milliion pesos a year in taxes or even more who knows,
Think about it who does it hurt and who dies it kill? no one man has smoked and used it for thousands of years with not one death ever since, it all stopped just a few decades ago. WOW 1000 years of culture suddenly stopped, banned and looked down on by a few people in power all because people where too blind to care. Its never to late as they say better late than never .
Come together people and lets change our law here in Philippine one marijuana and its uses.
"Mr.Farmer -Lover of Life"
another nut case of a country
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sun, 02/10/2008 - 10:15amanoither pack of alcohol supremacist bigots