PuTech Naman!

According to this article by Pinoy Tech Blog the Philippine Senate has just passed a bill which will impose a higher penalty for theft and robbery involving “a portable telecommunication device” (such as a cellphone, PDA or radio).

Now the penalty for theft in the Philippines ranges from one day to ten years imprisonment, depending on the amount of the thing stolen. With the proposed bill, the penalty increases to a month to fourteen years and eight months, if the thing stolen is a portable telecommunication device

I get that cellphone theft (which obviously this bill is aimed at) is rampant but for the life of me I don’t see the logic in imposing a higher penalty for its theft. I mean think about it one thief steals jewelry the other a cellphone, let’s say they are of equal value yet the cellphone thief will get served with a longer prison sentence - as much as four years and eight months more, really now ?!

Here’s a novel idea: how about we install a self destruct mechanism in all Cell phones just like in Mission Impossible. Someone steals your cellphone, no problem just send it a text message and BOOOOOM…