MANILA, Philippines - A group of advocates against illegal drugs filed a formal request yesterday for the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to require members of the boy band One Direction to undergo drug tests before allowing them to hold a concert in Manila this week.
“Allowing foreign entertainers who are known drug users to hold concerts on the Philippine stage without first undergoing proper scrutiny on ports of entry will not only create an impression that the Philippine government is inutile in implementing its laws against illegal drugs, but it will also make a huge impact on their fans, mostly the youth, who might do drugs because their idols are doing it,” read the letter by the Advocates against Drug Abuse (Laban ng Pamilyang Pilipino), a copy of which was obtained by The STAR.
The BI’s legal team received the two-page letter addressed to Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison.
The group also said the boy band’s luggage should be thoroughly searched at the airport and the band’s members put under constant monitoring by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.