By Lane Afable, News Editor
Senator Bam Aquino has introduced a measure seeking to strengthen and address gaps in the country’s anti-drunk and drugged driving law, aiming to protect young Filipinos who are among the most vulnerable to road crashes.
Aquino’s Senate Bill No. 2068 seeks to amend Republic Act No. 10586, or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013. He argues that it has failed to keep pace with the realities on the country’s roads, as data shows that road crashes are one of the leading causes of death for young Filipinos.
Government reports also indicated that drunk driving cases have increased by 255.8 percent compared to last year.
“What was intended to be a strong deterrent has not kept pace with the realities on our roads. Too many families continue to lose loved ones. Too many drivers still take the risk of getting behind the wheel while impaired. And too often, accountability comes too late, or not at all,” he said.
Among them was 23-year-old Kingston Ralph Cheng, whose life was cut short in a tragic hit-and-run incident involving a drunk driver in Cebu City on February 8, 2026.
“Kingston’s case exposed a critical gap in the law. Because testing was delayed, the suspect’s blood alcohol level had already dissipated, making it difficult to establish intoxication at the time of the incident. Under the current law, a driver can evade liability simply by avoiding immediate testing.
This is unacceptable; justice should not depend on how long someone can delay enforcement,” Aquino stressed in the explanatory note of his bill.
“The death of Kingston Cheng is a painful reminder that we must do better to keep our roads safe.
Ang mga pagbag-o niining balaod nagsiguro nga ang atong mga lagda dili lamang reaktibo, apan proaktibo; dili lamang silot, apan pang-prebentibo; ug labaw sa tanan, motubag sa importante nga atong gihatag sa kinabuhi sa matag Pilipino ug sa kinabuhi sa mga batan-ong Pilipino, nga sobra nga naapektuhan sa mga aksidente sa dalan,” he added.
(The changes to this bill ensure that our rules are not only reactive, but proactive; not only punitive, but preventive; and above all, responsive to the value we place on every Filipino life and the lives of young Filipinos, who are unduly affected by road crashes)
Senate Bill No. 2068 sets lower and science-based blood alcohol concentration (BAC) thresholds of 0.02 percent for novice and professional drivers, operators of public utility vehicles, and 0.03 percent for all other drivers of private motor vehicles.
To prevent drivers from avoiding responsibility by delaying or refusing, the measure applies implied consent, meaning that holding a license means agreeing to alcohol or drug testing when lawfully required.
All drivers involved must take a chemical test for alcohol and drugs within two hours of the incident, and police officers and medical institutions must ensure the testing is done immediately.
It also allows the use of retrograde extrapolation — or the scientific process of estimating a person’s BAC at the time of driving by projecting backward from the time a chemical test is actually administered — to determine a driver’s level of intoxication at the time of the incident.
Beyond stricter penalties and enforcement, the measure also focuses on prevention and rehabilitation by requiring offenders to attend a state-accredited alcohol safety program and mandating the installation of ignition interlock devices for repeat violators.
“At its core, this measure adopts a ‘Vision Zero’ approach: the belief that no loss of life on our roads is acceptable. Road safety is not just a matter of enforcement. It is a matter of policy, design, behavior, and accountability working together,” he said.
