Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY  
REP. ALFRED VARGAS 
AN ACT 
MODERNIZING THE CRIME INVESTIGATION TECHNIQUES 
OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article 2, Section 5 of the Philippine Constitution provides “[t]he 
maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty and property, 
and the promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by 
all the people of the blessings of democracy.” 
Crime investigation is essential in the administration of justice. The 
conviction or acquittal of an accused will depend on the quality of investigative 
work conducted by our law enforcement personnel. The problem is that some 
of the techniques employed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in crime 
investigation are outdated. These procedures have long been replaced by their 
counterparts in first world countries. 
Paraffin testing, as an example, is used to determine if a person in 
interest has handled a gun in connection with the investigation of a possible 
crime. This is largely considered unreliable in countries with advanced crime 
investigation techniques. When a firearm is discharged, an assortment of 
vapors and particulate material are expelled in the area around the firearm. 
These products of firearm discharge are collectively referred to as gunshot 
residues. Gunshot residues have been used in criminalistics to estimate firing 
distances, identify bullet holes, and to determine whether or not a person has 
discharged a firearm. Studies in the United States have shown, however, that 
it is not essential for a person to discharge a firearm to have gunshot residue 
since it can be transferred by means other than firing a gun. 
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Another problem is the absence of an “evidence library” or room in most 
police stations. The police investigator who gathers physical evidence from a 
crime scene is responsible for the custody of such evidence until it is turned 
over to the courts. The concerned police officer, if he is negligent, can even 
lose the physical evidence. Tampering with the evidence also becomes 
possible, because the chain of custody over the evidence is not strictly 
monitored. 
This bill seeks to solve the problems faced by the PNP and other 
government investigation agencies by laying the groundwork for the 
modernization of its crime investigation techniques. It seeks to phase out 
obsolete investigation techniques that prejudice the rights of the accused and 
diminish the people’s confidence in the criminal justice system. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly 
sought.  
ALFRED VARGAS 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
House Bill No. _______ 
INTRODUCED BY  
REP. ALFRED VARGAS 
AN ACT 
MODERNIZING THE CRIME INVESTIGATION TECHNIQUES 
OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Crime 
Investigation Modernization Act”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of the 
government to actively promote, induce and accelerate a sound and modern 
procedure in crime investigation. 
SECTION 3. Standards in Crime Investigation. – All law enforcement 
agencies shall be guided by the following standards in conducting their 
investigations: 
(a)
The constitutional rights of all parties shall be respected at all times.
Towards this end, obsolete and unreliable crime investigation
methods, such as paraffin testing, shall be phased out;
(b)
One of the most important aspects of securing the crime scene is to
preserve the scene with minimal contamination and disturbance of
physical evidence. The initial response to an incident shall be
expeditious and methodical. Upon arrival, the officer shall assess
the scene and treat the incident as a crime scene;
(c)
The safety and physical well-being of officers and other individuals,
in and around the crime scene, are the initial responding officers’
first priority;
(d)
The initial responding officers shall ensure that medical attention is
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provided with minimal contamination of the scene; 
(e) 
Controlling, identifying, and removing persons at the crime scene 
and limiting the number of persons who enter the crime scene and 
the movement of such persons is an important function of the initial 
responding officers in protecting the crime scene; 
(f) 
Defining and controlling boundaries provide a means for protecting 
and securing the crime scene; 
(g) 
The initial responding officers at the scene shall provide a detailed 
crime scene briefing to the investigators in charge of the scene; 
(h) 
All activities conducted and observations made at the crime scene 
must be documented as soon as possible after the event to preserve 
information; 
(i) 
The investigators in charge shall identify specific responsibilities, 
share preliminary information, and develop investigative plans in 
accordance with departmental policy, focal, and national laws; 
(j) 
The scene “walk-through” provides an overview of the entire scene, 
identifies any threats to scene integrity, and ensures protection of 
physical evidence. Written and photographic documentation 
provides a permanent record; 
(k) 
Based on the type of incident and complexity of the scene, the 
investigators in charge shall determine team composition. Trained 
personnel shall perform scene processing; 
(l) 
Contamination control and preventing cross-contamination at 
single or multiple scenes is essential to maintaining the safety of 
personnel and the integrity of evidence; 
(m) The investigators in charge shall ensure documentation of the scene 
using photos, videos, sketches, measurements and notes, among 
others; 
(n) 
The investigators must prioritize the collection of evidence to prevent 
loss, destruction, or contamination; 
(o) 
Evidence at crime scene that is in the process of documentation, 
collection, preservation, or packaging should be handled with 
attention to scene integrity and protection from contamination or 
deleterious change. During the processing of the scene, and 
following 
documentation, 
evidence 
should 
be 
appropriately 
packaged, labeled, and maintained in a secure, temporary manner 
until final packaging and submission to a secured evidence storage 
facility or the crime laboratory; 
(p) 
Law enforcement personnel and other responders shall participate 
in or initiate a crime scene debriefing to ensure the crime scene 
investigation is complete and to verify post-scene responsibilities; 
(q) 
The investigators in charge shall direct another walk-through at the 
conclusion of the scene investigation and ensure that the scene 


investigation is complete; and 
(r) 
Reports and other documentation pertaining to the crime scene 
investigation shall be compiled into a "case file" by the investigators 
in charge of the crime scene. This file shall be a record of the actions 
taken and evidence collected at the scene. This documentation shall 
allow for independent review of the work conducted. 
 
SECTION 4. Creation of the Crime Investigation Modernization 
Committee. – The Crime Investigation Modernization Committee (CIMC) is 
hereby created and shall be composed of the following: 
 
(a) 
The Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government 
(DILG) as Chairperson; 
(b) 
The Chief of the Philippine National Police; 
(c) 
The Director of the National Bureau of Investigation; and 
(d) 
Two experts in forensic science to be appointed by the President. 
 
SECTION 5. Duties of the CIMC. – The CIMC shall have the following 
responsibilities: 
 
(a) 
Conduct a study on the modern methods of criminal investigation 
and their applicability to the Philippines; 
(b) 
Send scholars abroad for training in forensic science. They shall be 
required to render government service for at least five years after 
completion of their study; 
(c) 
Create a manual for law enforcement officers according to the 
standards enumerated in Section 3 of this Act. This manual shall 
serve as the basic requirement in all subsequent criminal 
investigations. It shall be the responsibility of the CIMC to train the 
members of all law enforcement agencies according to the 
procedures outlined by the manual; 
(d) 
Complete a study on the feasibility of creating a course on Forensic 
Science in state universities to be submitted to Congress within two 
years after the creation of the Committee; 
(e) 
Engage in dialogues with foreign police agencies on possible sharing 
and transfer of technology in forensic investigation; 
(f) 
Within three years after the creation of the CIMC, it shall submit a 
report to Congress on the costs and ways of implementing a 
comprehensive program of modernization of crime investigation. 
 
SECTION 6. Funding. – The amount necessary for the proper implementation 
of this Act shall be generated from the funds of the Department of Interior and 
Local Government. 


SECTION 7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within sixty (60) 
days from the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of the Department of 
Interior and Local Government shall, in coordination with other 
stakeholders, issue the necessary rules and regulations for the effective 
implementation of this Act.  
SECTION 8. Separability Clause. – If, for any reason, any provision of this 
Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, parts or provisions of this Act 
which are not affected shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
SECTION 9. Non-Impairment Clause. – Nothing in this Act shall be 
construed as to diminish, impair, or repeal rights recognized, granted, or 
made available to disadvantaged, marginalized, or specific sectors under 
existing laws. 
SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, presidential 
decrees, Implementing Rules and Regulations inconsistent with this Act are 
hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 11. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation. 
Approved,