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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
House Bill No. __________ 
Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative 
HON. MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article II, Section 5 of the 1987 Constitution affirms: 
“The State shall assure the 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.” 
Adhering to the basic principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcers as 
adopted by the United Nations Congress, law enforcement officials shall apply non-
violent means before resorting to the use of force or firearms.1 This is embodied in 
the rules of various law enforcement agencies. The Revised Philippine National Police 
Operational Procedures of December 2013, Chapter 1, Rule 2 states that:  Every police 
ofﬁcer shall carry in his prescribed rig a non-lethal weapon (pepper spray, baton or 
stun gun), which shall be primarily used in a non-armed confrontation with an 
uncooperative and unruly offender during the arrest. However, there still have been 
incidents where unarmed offenders were killed.  
1 United Nations. Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. Information retrieved from 
https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/useofforceandfirearms.aspx. Dated 1990  
November 24, 2021
3:49 pm
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For instance, on April 21, 2020, Police Master Sergeant Daniel Florendo Jr. and four 
police trainees were manning a checkpoint in Barangay Pasong Putik, Quezon City and 
killed retired Army Corporal Winston Ragos for allegedly carrying a weapon inside his 
sling bag and violated the enhanced community quarantine protocols.2 The 
investigations yielded that Ragos did not carry any weapon but rather suffering from 
post-traumatic stress disorder after he served in the Philippine Army for seven years. 
Following a year after the death of retired Army Corporal Ragos, an 18-year-old 
teenager with autism was gunned down by the police in Valenzuela City. Edwin Arnigo 
was killed during a raid on an illegal cockfight after he allegedly attempted to grab the 
gun of a policeman during a scuffle.3  
These incidents may have been prudently averted if police officers were equipped with 
non-lethal devices which can be used for non-armed confrontations. Naturally, these 
instance have put the police in bad light which erodes the trust of the public. In 
pursuance to a rights-based approach in law enforcement and public safety, this bill 
seeks to mandate the carrying and use of non-lethal weapons for law enforcement, 
peacekeeping, security and jail management. This is envisioned to curtail the risk of 
unnecessary use of lethal force against the public, and eventually, cultivate the trust 
of the people.  
In view of the foregoing, the immediate approval of this measure is earnestly sought. 
MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III 
Representative 
Magdalo Para Sa Pilipino Party-List
2 ABS-CBN. Cop who shot ex-soldier Winston Ragos failed to ‘exercise prudence’: Napolcom. Information retrieved from https://news.abs-
cbn.com/news/07/06/20/cop-who-shot-ex-soldier-winston-ragos-failed-to-exercise-prudence-napolcom. Dated July 6, 2020 
3 GMA. Family seeks justice for special needs youth killed by Valenzuela cops. Information retrieved from 
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/788702/family-seeks-justice-for-special-needs-youth-killed-in-police-shooting/story/. 
Dated May 24, 2021 


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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
House Bill No. __________ 
Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative 
HON. MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III 
AN ACT 
MANDATING THE CARRYING AND USE OF NON-LETHAL WEAPONS FOR LAW 
ENFORCEMENT, PEACEKEEPING, SECURITY AND JAIL MANAGEMENT, 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
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 “Mandatory Use of 
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Non-Lethal Weapons Act.” 
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy.– It is hereby declared the policy of the State to 
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maintain peace and order, protect life, liberty, and property, and the promotion of the 
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general welfare. It shall recognize the value of human dignity and respect for the 
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sanctity of life. It shall endeavor the dynamic application of rights-based approaches 
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in law enforcement and public safety. Towards this end, the State shall mandate the 
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training and use of non-lethal weapons for law enforcement, peacekeeping, security 
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and jail management to minimize the risk of use of lethal force against persons while 
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carrying out duties to serve and protect the public.  
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Sec. 3. Definition of Terms.– 
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(a) Non-Lethal Weapons – weapons which are explicitly designed and 
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developed to incapacitate or repel personnel with a lower probability 
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of fatality or permanent injury, or to disable equipment with minimal 
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undesired damage or impact on the environment than conventional 
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weapons such as metal or hard batons, knives, firearms and 
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explosives. Non-lethal weapon shall also mean less-than-lethal 
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weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-
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inducing weapons. For purposes of this Act, non-lethal weapons 
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include rubber or plastic baton/truncheon, pepper spray, pepper 
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launcher, pepper baton, PAVA spray, electroshock weapons and a 
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combination of these and other similar non-lethal weapons. 
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(b) Rubber or Plastic Baton/Truncheon – a cylindrical club made of 
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rubber or plastic. It can be used defensively to block; offensively to 
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strike or jab; and it can aid in the application of armlocks. It is also 
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used for non-weapon purposes such as breaking windows to free 
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trapped individuals, or turning out a suspect’s pockets during a 
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search as a precaution against sharp objects. 
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(c) Pepper Spray – a device which contains and releases Oleum 
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Capsicum which is a chemical or organic substance that is a 
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lachrymatory agent intended to produce temporary physical 
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discomfort or disability through being sprayed, atomized, squirted in 
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droplets or continuous stream and dispensed by pressurized air or 
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pump.  
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(d) Pepper Launcher – a device which releases, using pressurized air or 
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gas, frangible plastic, resin or rubber ball or projectile that contains 
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powder consisting of ground pepper or PAVA powder that would 
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burst into a cloud of pepper or PAVA dust on contact which is 
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intended to produce temporary physical discomfort or disability.  
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(e) PAVA Spray – an incapacitant spray similar to pepper spray that is 
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dispensed from a handheld canister in a liquid stream or contained 
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as a powder in a ball or projectile made of frangible material such as 
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plastic or rubber. It contains a 0.3% solution of pelargonic acid 
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vannillylamide, a synthetic capsaicinoid, in a solvent of aqueous 
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ethanol. 
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(f) Electroshock Weapon – an incapacitating weapon or device that 
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delivers an electric shock aimed at temporarily disrupting muscle 
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functions and/or inflicting pain without usually causing significant 
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injury. Examples of such devices as stun guns, taser guns, batons, 
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and belts and tasers.  
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(g) Law Enforcer – the members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), 
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Military Police of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), National 
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Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency  
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(PDEA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Bureau of Customs (BOC), 
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Bureau of Immigration (BI) and other government agencies 
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mandated for law enforcement.  
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(h) Peacekeeper – the Barangay Peace and Security Officer, Civil Security 
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Officers of the Local Government Units (LGUs), and the like. 
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(i) Security Personnel – the private and government security personnel 
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as defined by Republic Act No. 5487 or the Private Security Law. 
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(j) Jail Officer – the Jail Officers of the Bureau of Jail Management and 
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Penology (BJMP) and jails under the local government and the 
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Correction Officers of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). 
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Sec. 4. Mandatory Use of Non-Lethal Weapons. – All law enforcers, 
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peacekeepers, security personnel and jail officers shall be required to carry in their 
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rigs a non-lethal weapon as part of their standard uniform.  
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Sec. 5. Trainings on the Use of Non-Lethal Weapons. – Trainings on the use of 
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the non-lethal weapon shall form part of the basic and refresher training courses of 
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all law enforcers, peacekeepers, security personnel and jail officers.  
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Sec. 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The PNP, Department of 
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National Defense, Department of Interior and Local Government and all other 
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concerned  agencies shall within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, 
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promulgate the rules and regulation to effectively implement the provisions of this Act.  
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Sec. 7. Appropriations. – The amount needed for the initial implementation of 
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this Act shall be taken from the current year’s appropriations of the concerned 
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agencies. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for its continued implementation 
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shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.  
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Sec. 8. Separability Clause. – If any portion or provision of this Act is declared 
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unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provisions not affected thereby shall 
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remain in force and effect.  
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Sec. 9. Repealing Clause. – Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
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order, letter of instruction, rule or regulation inconsistent with the provisions of this 
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Act is hereby repealed or modified accordingly.  
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Sec. 10. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following 
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its complete publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.  
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Approved,