Passage of Senate bill banning chemical weapons pushed

MANILA – Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada on Wednesday urged his colleagues to support his bill prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons.

Estrada, chairperson of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, made this call as he sponsored Senate Bill (SB) 2871 under Committee Report 344 or the "Chemical Weapons Prohibition Act" at the plenary hall.

"Mr. President, esteemed colleagues, this representation respectfully seeks your support in moving this long overdue legislation forward," Estrada said in his sponsorship speech.

"I look forward to the deliberations of this measure and welcome inputs from the honorable members of this chamber with the sincere hope that this Senate will not delay any further the passage of this bill that is almost three decades behind," Estrada said.

He said the enactment of bill will make the Philippines fully compliant with the United Nations Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemical Weapons and Their Destruction.

He said the Senate concurred in the ratification of the Convention on Aug. 19, 1996 but since then, Congress has not enacted the national legislation needed to fully enforce the objectives of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

"This is despite the fact that the Philippines was among the first countries to sign the Convention when it was opened for signature on January 13, 1993 – just 45 days after the UN General Assembly approved the same on November 30, 1992," he said.

He said globally, out of the 193 States Parties to the Convention, 128 states already have comprehensive national implementing legislation as of Dec. 31, 2023.

Estrada said SB 2871 establishes regulatory framework through declaration and verification mechanisms for toxic chemicals, particularly scheduled chemicals or those with legitimate pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial purposes, but can be diverted for the production of chemical weapons.

The lawmaker said the bill also seeks "to effectively reduce the threat of chemical terrorism and ensure that advancements in chemistry will only be for peaceful purposes."

He, however, clarified the bill does not seek to put additional burden to local chemical industry, particularly the manufacturing sub-sector that has 147,000 direct employees. (PNA)