THE office of Sen. Robin Padilla yesterday said it is a senator’s mandate to craft legislations and it is up to the Supreme Court (SC) to asses if these are unconstitutional.
Lawyer Philip Jurado, Padilla’s chief of staff, made the statement after Palace press officer Claire Castro said senators might only be wasting their time if they tackle the actor-turned-senator’s proposal to mandate drug testing among all elected and appointed government officials, including the president since the SC has already ruled that mandatory drug testing is unconstitutional.
“Let’s let the lawmakers do their job in the meantime, and if this becomes a law, let the Supreme Court rule on its constitutionality,” Jurado said.
On criticisms that Padilla was singling out the Office of the President in his proposed bill, Jurado maintained that the senator only wants to ensure that elected and appointed officials have the highest standards when it comes to following the law.
He also said that the bill does not in any way single out President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “since Padilla was never known to attack Marcos on a personal level, but only on matters concerning social issues.
“The senator has high respects for the President,” he said.
Jurado also said Castro should re-read the SC ruling on the Social Justice Society v. Dangerous Drugs Board case, pointing out that the case and Padilla’s bill have different contexts.
He likewise urged the Palace official to read Padilla’s proposed Senate Bill No. 1200.
“That’s why we are telling her that she review the decision again and the bill filed by the senator since it has a different context. What’s clear is that if what is dictated by the law is for the compelling interest of the state, that will be constitutional,” he said.
SBN 1200, or the proposed Drug-Free Government Act, calls for the conduct of an annual mandatory drug testing for elected and appointed officials, the president included.
Under the bill, the initial drug screening will be done via a hair follicle test, while the confirmation will be done by taking urine specimen.
The bill also includes drug testing among candidates 90 days prior to the elections.
Castro on Wednesday said the bill violates the right to privacy and could just result in waste of government funds since it is unconstitutional.
“What is allowed is only random drug testing. So, Sen. Robin Padilla might just be wasting time and funds. He should first study the law he wants to propose,’” Castro said, citing the SC ruling on the Social Justice Society v. Dangerous Drugs Board case in 2008 which said that mandatory drug testing is unconstitutional and a violation of privacy if applied to everyone.
