(POLITIKO) The Philippines might be beefing up the capability of armed forces in the wake of China’s growing military might, but it’s apparently defenseless in dealing with chemical attacks.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada pointed out the lack of funding in defending against chemical attacks during plenary debates in the Senate on the Department of National Defense’s (DND) P266-billion budget proposal for 2025.
He said there is no appropriation in the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget to address mass casualty events like chemical, biological, radioactive, and nuclear (CBRN) incidents, and counter weapons of mass destruction.
Estrada lamented that his bill – proposed Chemical Weapons Prohibition Act – has no funding under the budget.
The bills seeks to outlaw activities related to the use and manufacture of chemical weapons.
“Kasi kung hindi natin popondohan ito, balewala itong batas na ipinapanukala natin. If this will not be funded, the bill which I already sponsored on the floor, mababalewala ito. I just hope and pray na wala naman mangyayaring ganito sa ating bansa today and in the near future,” Estrada said.
Estrada noted that in the three decades since the country became a signatory to the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the Philippines has yet to fulfill its obligation to the treaty designed to eliminate chemical weapons.
“This Senate concurred in the ratification of the CWC but we have not approved the national legislation needed to fully implement the provisions of this important international treaty,” he said.