Marcos signs Chemical Weapons Prohibition Act

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. signed into law a measure prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons.

Signed on April 15, 2025, Republic Act No. 12174 or the Chemical Weapons Prohibition Act prohibits the following:

a) To develop, produce, acquire, stockpile, retain, use, or transfer domestically or by cross-border movement, any chemical weapon;

b) To finance the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, use or transfer of chemical weapons;

c) To possess or transfer domestically or by cross-border movement, directly or indirectly, precursors and scheduled chemicals without the necessary license or permit; 

d) To engage in any military preparation with the use of a chemical weapon;

e) To assist, encourage, or induce a person to engage in any activity that is prohibited for State Party under the Convention;

f) To use a riot control agent as a method of warfare;

g) To export and import Schedule 1 chemicals to or from a State not a Party to the Convention, including transit through such State; and

h) To engage in any other activity prohibited for a State Party under the Convention.

Under the new law, the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) is hereby designated as the Philippine national authority on the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The ATC, acting as national authority, shall ensure proper elucidation and representation of the country's policy on the non-proliferation of chemical weapons in coordination with the Philippine Permanent Representative to the OPCW.

Any person who develops, produces, acquires, stockpiles, retains, transfers, or uses chemical weapons shall suffer the penalty of life imprisonment, without the benefit of parole under the provisions of Republic Act No. 10592, and a fine of not less than P2 million but not more than P5 million.—LDF, GMA Integrated News