
MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – The Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration is requiring two members of the English-Irish band One Direction to post cash bonds of 200,000 pesos ($5,000 ) each, to be forfeited if they are caught using or promoting illegal drugs while in Manila for their concert this weekend.
Immigration spokeswoman Elaine Tan said Thursday that Immigration Commissioner Siegfred Mison required Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson to post the bond through their concert producer for their special work permits. The five-member band performs on March 21 and 22 at the Mall of Asia.
The Anti-Drugs Advocate group has called on the bureau to strictly scrutinize the band members’ permits following a video that circulated on the Internet of Malik and Tomlinson purportedly smoking marijuana.
When reached by The Adobo Chronicles for comment at London’s Heathrow Airport just before their flight to Manila, Malik and Tomlinson said “$5,000 is nothing compared to what we’re getting paid for our concert appearance, so it’s no big deal. It’s just a chunk of change.”
Tomlinson also assured their Filipino fans that they will not violate any ant-marijuana laws while in the Philippines. “We will not be smoking MJ before, during or after our concert. We will just bring enough supply of brownies to snack on. That way we will not get in trouble with the law for smoking MJ.”
The ‘brownies’ Tomlinson was referring to are the marijuana brownies — chocolate-flavored cookies infused with marijuana that are sold at Cannabis stores in the U.S. and Europe. There are no existing laws in the Philippines banning the eating of marijuana.