Santiago bill to boost fight vs illegal drugs, stop entry at border

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has introduced legislation that would allocate P165 million over the next three years to the Department of National Defense, Bureau of Customs and Philippine Coast Guard to expand their border security operations and prevent the entry of illegal drugs into the country.

Santiago’s Senate Bill No. 1700, or what she calls the Drug-Free Philippines Act, would appropriate, on top of the national budget allocations, P15 million a year for the next three years to the BOC, P10 million a year for the same period to the Coast Guard, and P30 million a year similarly for the defense department.

“Illegal drug use can kill the individuals involved, or cause the individuals to kill or hurt others, and such use strips the individuals of their moral sense and with it, everything in life that is important and worthwhile,” said Santiago in her explanatory note.

Purpose of bill

“The purpose of this bill is to reduce the supply of drugs by stopping illegal drugs from entering the country,” she said.

The proposal was one of several anti-illegal drug bills that Santiago filed in September.

Sen. Grace Poe, the chair of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, has said that she will ask for a briefing from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police on what the agencies need after confirming the presence in the country of the dangerous Siniloa drug cartel of Mexico.

“This is cause for serious concern. As chair of the committee … I deem it necessary that the committee gets a thorough briefing from the PNP and PDEA on this grave national concern as soon as possible,” Poe said in a text message.

“This menace needs to be nipped in the bud as it is a real threat to our society,” Poe added.

As soon as possible

She said she wanted the briefing to happen as soon as most of the committee members return from the holiday break.

“I prefer that most of the committee members are present for the briefing. We will have it as soon as we can muster that number, [I hope] even before the session resumes,” Poe said.

Santiago’s bill would require that 20 percent of the proposed allocation for the BOC and for the defense department be set aside for local law enforcement.

The bill would enable the Coast Guard to pursue aliens suspected of illegally entering the country or local individuals suspected of importing illegal drugs until the law enforcement authorities can take over the pursuit.

Under the bill, any violence that will result from trying to elude inspection and clearance requirements will be punished with five years’ imprisonment.

If the violence results in injury, the punishment will be 10 years; if in death, life imprisonment.

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