THE Senate bill seeking to prohibit the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons, authored by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, gained the support of a science expert, along with concerned government agencies.
During a public hearing by the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation on the proposed ban on the use of chemical weapons, Dr. Imee Su Matinez, head of the scientific advisory board of the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons (OPCW), emphasized the urgent need to pass the measure.
Martinez noted that while no chemical weapons had been detected in the country, the raw materials needed for their production were readily available.
She warned that dual-use products could be obtained in supermarkets by anyone, and these could easily be converted into weapons of mass destruction and disturb the generally peaceful environment of the country.
Martinez made her call as she joined other resource persons from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Trade and Industry, and Philippine Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry in supporting the early passage of Senate Bill (SB) 2723, an act prohibiting the development, production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons.
Estrada thanked the resource persons for supporting his bill, saying he would soon bring the proposed measure to the plenary so it could be acted upon before the year ends.
He said chemical weapons cause harm in a most unselective manner, a silent threat bringing death through painful struggle, indiscriminately injuring and killing combatants and civilians alike, without destroying buildings and infrastructure — and terrorizing those who have survived.
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on the prohibition and destruction of chemical weapons was adopted by the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Sept. 3, 1992.
The Philippines was among the first to sign the convention when it was opened for signature on January 13, 1993. The CWC entered into force on April 29, 1997.
The CWC is the first disarmament agreement negotiated within a multilateral framework that provides for the elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction by prohibiting the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, transfer, or use of chemical weapons by state parties.
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