EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
S E N A T E  
S. No.
RECEIVED
TIME;
NDEX
BILLS
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid
AN ACT
ALLOWING FOR SINGLE PARTY CONSENSUAL RECORDING IN LAW
ENFORCEMENT
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Much of the attirbution to the country's low conviction rate goes to the lack of 
available evidence to prosecute criminal offenses. The law enforcement officers do 
not have much available tools to gather evidence which are otherwise available in 
territories which have good prosecution success rates like the United States of 
America. One of the commonly used law enforcement tool that contribute to the 
success of US law enforcement is consensual recordings.
Under this mechanism, an officer who most oftenly goes undercover or 
through an informant, makes a telephone call or proceeds to a face to face meeting 
and personally records his conversations with a certain person of interest without 
need of a court order. All that is required is that the law enforcement officer or the 
person under his authority is a party to such conversation in order to make the 
recording admissible in evidence. This tool as used in the US justice system has 
proved to be an efficient tool to prosecute or even prevent crimes such as drug 
trafficking, theft, public corruption and terrorism. It has also helped protect the 
innocent as the recording of the conversation would make it difficult for law 
enforcement officers to misrepresent what had really transpired in the conversation.


It is believed that only with 
properly empowered 
law enforcement 
organization focused and motivated of preserving peace and order could the country 
achieve a society free from the dangers of crime. If they will be provided with this 
tool that has proved effective in other territories, we may be on our way to achieve 
not only a high conviction rate but more importantly, a low incidence of criminality.
Early passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
NUEL "LITO " M. L
Senator


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
S E N A T E
59
S. No.
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid
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AN ACT
ALLOWING FOR SINGLE PARTY CONSENSUAL RECORDING IN LAW
ENFORCEMENT
Be it enacted by the Senate and House o f Representatives o f the Philippines 
in Congress assembled:
Section 1. Title. This act shall be known as the "Consensual Recording for Law 
Enforcement Act".
Section 2. Consensual Recording. A law enforcement officer is authorized to 
record an oral communication to which the officer or a person under the direct 
supervision of the officer is a party. For purposes of this section, a person is a party 
to an oral conversation if the oral communication is made in the person's immediate 
presence and is audible to the person regardless of whether the communication is 
specifically directed to the person.
Section 3. Admissibility o f recording. No recording made under this act shall 
be admissible in court unless it is proven that the recording presented is of the entire 
conversation free from any alterations and that such conversation is not a product of 
instigation.
It shall be made part of the recording a recitation of the circumstances 
including the identity of the person making the recording, the date time and place


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where the recording is made, the person or persons subject of the recording, and 
the offense for which the recording is being made.
Section 
4. 
Repealing 
Clause. 
All 
laws, 
decrees, 
executive 
orders, 
administrative orders or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are 
hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly
Section 5. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, other provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full 
force and effect.
Section 6. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
following its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) 
newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,