The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Friday, Nov. 24, declared its full support to the proposed Contraband Detection and Control System Act under House Bill No. 9135 which had passed third and final reading at the House of Representatives.

“This is what we needed in the bureau,” BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr. said in a statement.

“With the modern technologies like body scanner, we can do away with strip search for visitors entering the New Bilibid Prison and other prison facilities as this can detect objects even those inside a person's body for security screening purposes, without physically removing the person's clothes or making any physical contact,” Catapang said. 

 House bill 9135 was authored by Surgao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs.

BuCor said the proposed law would impose the penalty of imprisonment of 20 years up to 40 years and a fine of not less than P5 million but not more than P10 million against those caught  bringing into a prison facility prohibited items.

 Among the prohibited items listed in the bill are firearms, explosives, dangerous drugs, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, currency, electronic communication devices, and luxury products.

 “If the contraband involved is other than those abovementioned, the penalty shall be imprisonment of six years up to 12 years and a fine of not less than P1 million but not more than P5 million pesos,” BuCor said.

It said that under the bill, "the penalty of imprisonment shall be served consecutively after the service of the sentence imposed by the court with respect to the possession of the prohibited object or contraband."

In addition, it said that any public official, jail authority, or employee found in violation of the proposed law will be given the additional penalty of perpetual absolute disqualification from holding public office and forfeiture of all retirement benefits and accrued leave credits.

In expressing full support to the bill, Catapang noted an increase of contrabands brought in by visitors of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

 He said: “Kung saan saang parte ng katawan nila itinatago, kaya kailangang kailangan yung mga modern at high tech na gadgets at technologies para makatulong sa pag babantay natin sa mga PDLs at sa mga personal effects na ipinapasok sa mga prison and penal farms (the visitors have been hiding the contrabands in different parts of their bodies which is why there is a need for modern and high tech gadgets and technologies that can help in guarding PDLs and personal effect being brought into prisons and penal farms).”