De Lima urges drug tests in prisons following resurgence of Bilibid narcotics trade

Senator Leila de Lima has filed a bill mandating regular drug tests in correctional and penal institutions, following the resurgence of illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

De Lima filed Senate Bill No. 1496 on July 6, days after Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said prison officials observed “some sort of resurgence” of the narcotics business a “few months ago.”

“It appears that in spite of the early pronouncements of the DOJ Secretary and the PNP Chief, the current measures being implemented are still ineffective in eradicating the drug problems in our penitentiary system,” De Lima said.

Under the bill, the mandatory drug testing shall be conducted to all detainees, prisoners and their custodians in facilities maintained by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and Bureau of Corrections, as well as the custodial centers of the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Investigation, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Drug tests shall be conducted at random and unannounced intervals for more than once a year, and any positive drug result shall affect any petition of a prisoner who is seeking pardon or parole.

Once a detainee or prisoner tests positive for drug use, he shall be required to undergo a Drug Dependency Examination and be transferred to a rehabilitation facility for detainees and prisoners who use illegal drugs.

Government employees and officials in detention facilities who tested positive for drug use will also undergo a Drug Dependency Examination without prejudice to being subject to administrative and criminal sanctions.

“With this measure, it is envisioned that our detention facilities and correctional institutions shall finally be rid of the scourge of illegal drugs,” De Lima, former Justice secretary, said.

During her term as head of the Department of Justice, De Lima led a series of high-risk surprise inspection raids at the NBP. The inspections resulted in the dismantling of the luxurious huts of high-profile inmates and the confiscation of contrabands.

Last year, however, a House committee probed De Lima over her alleged links to the drug trade inside the NBP. Several inmates accused her of receiving drug money to fund her senatorial campaign.

De Lima, presently detained at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame over drug-related charges, have repeatedly denied the allegations against her, claiming she is a victim of political persecution. —ALG, GMA News