Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada introduced a bill aimed at prohibiting the use and manufacture of chemical weapons and establishing a verification mechanism for controlling the toxic chemicals involved in their production.
As chairperson of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Estrada said his proposal intends to ban the development, production, possession, transfer, and use of chemical weapons within the country.
He explained that Committee Report No. 344 on Senate Bill No. 2871, also known as the proposed Chemical Weapons Prohibition Act, will define offenses, establish penalties, and outline enforcement procedures related to the chemical industry.
In advocating for his proposal, Estrada pointed to instances of chemical misuse for harmful purposes.
“We don’t want to impose extra burdens or hinder the growth of our local chemical industry, particularly since it is one of the largest manufacturing sub-sectors in the country, comprising 1,400 chemical manufacturing firms and employing 147,000 people,” he said.
“We propose streamlining policies and enhancing coordination among regulatory agencies to prevent duplicative or redundant permit processes,” the senator added.
Estrada highlighted the concern surrounding dual-use chemicals, which are commonly found in everyday products such as solvents for dyes in textile printing, ink in ballpoint pens, coatings in paints, lubricants, and antioxidants in cosmetics.
While these substances have legitimate uses, they can also be easily converted into chemical weapons, acting as vesicants or blistering agents that can be lethal to those exposed.
The enactment of this bill is required by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), to which the Philippines was one of the first countries to sign in January 1993.
Despite the Senate’s concurrence in ratifying the CWC, Congress has yet to pass the national legislation necessary to fully enforce its objectives, which include a complete ban on this class of weapons of mass destruction.
“Apart from being an international obligation, this measure will provide the framework for effectively managing chemicals that pose security risks, and will offer tools to prevent, respond to, and manage chemical incidents, which are vital for national security and regional stability,” Estrada said.
He added that the legislation would act as a deterrent by imposing severe penalties for violations, in line with the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and the Strategic Trade Management Act (STMA).
The bill aims to reduce the threat of chemical terrorism and ensure that advancements in chemistry are directed toward peaceful purposes.
Under the proposal, violators will face penalties ranging from 12 years to life imprisonment, along with fines of up to P5 million. Any foreigner convicted of an offense will face immediate deportation upon serving their sentence and will be permanently barred from re-entering the country.
The maximum penalty, as well as a lifetime disqualification from holding public office, will be imposed on any government official or employee found guilty of an offense. Those who conspire to commit prohibited acts will face the same penalties as those who carry out the offenses.
