House OKs bill penalizing inmates caught with contraband

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has passed on third reading a bill that imposes an additional 40 years in prison and a P10-million fine for inmates caught with contraband.

House Bill 9153, the “Contraband Detection and Control System Act,” is intended to prevent the proliferation of contraband in prison by mandating all government agencies and local government units to implement a “detection and control system.”

Speaker Martin Romualdez said yesterday the measure will have a “chilling effect on persons deprived of liberty.”

“We’re telling them that we’re sincere and serious in giving them a new life away from danger, that is why we’re helping them get rehabilitated,” he added.

Under the bill, a Contraband Detection and Control System shall be institutionalized in penal and detention facilities across the country.

“We mean business here because these crimes have always been recurring in practically all administrations. We have to have a culture of discipline and order once and for all. We also hope to reduce, if not end, gang wars inside prison facilities,” Romualdez said.

Principally authored by House committee on dangerous drugs chair Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the bill lists 11 contraband items: illegal drugs; firearms; explosives; alcohol or intoxicating beverages; cigarettes, tobacco products and vapes; all forms of currency and monetary instruments; electronic communication devices; luxury items such as appliances; gambling or gaming equipment and jewelry.

Barbers said the proposed legislation, once enacted, will “serve as a deterrent to those inmates or detention prisoners where drugs and crimes have been a part of their lives – inside or outside of prison.”

“The measure will put a stop to their nefarious activities, where they are transacting drug deals even inside prison,” he added.