SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second R e g u la r S ession
SENATE
S.B. No. 1576
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'17 
AUG 30 
P 4 :07
I t j  :
In tro d u ced  by SEN. SHERWIN GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
MANDATING THE USE OF ON-BODY CAMERAS BY LAW ENFORCEMENT 
OFFICERS DURING ANY ANTI-ILLEGAL DRUG AND CRIMINALITY 
OPERATIONS, AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The untim ely death of seventeen year-old Kian Lloyd delos Santos 
during an anti-drug and crim inality police operation sparked anew 
allegations of hum an rights abuse and police brutality, casting doubts and 
furor over the continued rash of killings. Although accusations w ithout proof 
are downright unfair, our police operatives as the prim ary protector of the 
civilian populace, m ust ensure th at their integrity and character are always 
beyond reproach, especially in the conduct of their function.
It is the intent of this m easure to deter m isconduct and improve law 
enforcem ent accountability during police encounters by the introduction of 
the body cam era. A recording m ade in the body cam era shall provide 
evidence of an objective narration of the police operation. The account on 
the incident will be factual and from hereon not be reliant on w itnesses with


uncorroborated hearsay and self-serving testim onies. In this wise, the 
function of the on-body cam era will be two-pronged: protect the public 
against police m isconduct, and help protect our policemen from false 
accusations of abuse.
Further, it is im portant to recognize the value of utilizing technology 
as an im portant enforcem ent and public safety tool. In order, however, th at 
public confidence in this technology is m aintained, basic policies to protect 
the integrity of the recording m ust be put in place, fortified with stringent 
guidelines in its use. The purpose of this Act is to provide guidance in the 
responsible and effective use of overt cam eras in public areas by the police 
for the purpose of safety and security. Since the cost involved in the 
procurem ent of the body cam eras will be significant, the im plem entation of 
this m easure shall be in several phases and the determ ination of the 
num ber of personnel who will be arm ed with the on-body cam era shall 
initially involve law enforcem ent officers who are tasked to conduct anti­
illegal drug and criminality operations in the country.
This legislation is necessary to institutionalize reforms to help allay 
the fears of the public when conduct of these operations will be m ade in the 
future, hence, immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought.
IT. GATCHA


SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
S econd R eg u lar S ession
SENATE
S.B. No.
1576
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In tro d u ced  by SEN. SHERWIN GATCHALIAN
1 
AN ACT
2 
MANDATING THE USE OF ON-BODY CAMERAS BY LAW ENFORCEMENT
3 
OFFICERS DURING ANY ANTI-ILLEGAL DRUG AND CRIMINALITY
4 
OPERATIONS, AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress assem bled:
5 
SECTION 1. S h o rt Title. -  This Act shall be known as the “Police On-
6 
Body Cam Act”.
7 
SEC. 2. D eclaratio n  o f Policy. -  It is the declared duty of the State to
8 
m aintain peace and order, protect life, liberty and property and promote the
9 
general welfare. Towards this end, the State shall continuously develop
10 
m echanism s 
to 
help 
improve 
law 
enforcem ent 
transparency 
and
11 
accountability, hence:
12 
a) There shall be proper docum entation of interactions between law
13 
enforcem ent officers and the public, especially during anti-illegal
14 
drug and crim inality operations;
15 
b) Utilize m odern technology as a tool to deter incidents of abuse or
16 
m isconduct by law enforcem ent officers during legitimate police


1 
operations, as well as safeguard these officer’s rights against false
2 
accusations;
3 
c) 
Devise m eans to reduce the cost and im pact of crime in the
4 
community;
5 
d) Improve com m unity relations between police enforcem ent officers
6 
and the public by m aintaining policies th at balance the rights of
7 
the public for privacy and the prom otion of accountability during
8 
anti-illegal drug and crim inality operations.
9 
SEC. 3. D efinition o f Term s. -  For purposes of this Act, the following 
10 
term s shall be defined as follows:
11 
a) On-Body Camera shall refer to the use of a wearable audio, video or
12 
photographic recording system  utilized by law enforcem ent officers to
13 
record their interactions with the public or gather video evidence at
14 
crime scenes. Some feature live stream ing capabilities while others
15 
are based on local storage;
16 
b) Images shall refer to recorded images in the On-Body Camera;
17 
c) Law Enforcement Officers shall refer to elem ents of the Philippine
18 
National Police (PNP), and m em bers of the Drug Enforcem ent Unit of
19 
the Philippine Drug Enforcem ent Agency (PDEA);
20 
d) Anti-niegal Drug and Criminality Operation shall refer to any law
21 
enforcem ent or police operation involving the conduct of searches,
22 
service of w arrants, arrest or apprehension of persons for violation of
23 
Republic Act No. 9165, as am ended, or any other law related to illegal
24 
drug activities, as well as of laws involving other crimes, or under any
25 
related anti-drug or crim inality program  or cam paign of the PNP,
26 
SEC. 4. Use o f On-Body C am era in  Police O perations. -  Members
27 
of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcem ent officers
28 
involved in anti-illegal drug and crim inality operations are hereby
29 
m andated to use on-body cam eras during police operations and as such,
30 
shall establish protocols and stringent standard for the responsible and
31 
effective use of this overt cam era.


1 
The cam era m ust be turned on and left running until the operations
2 
shall have been completed.
3 
SEC. 5. 
M inim um  S ta n d a rd s. 
-  The 
on-body cam era 
system
4 
m ust be capable of setting on playback a full account of the operation
5 
th at was concluded. It m ust likewise be ensured th at the cam eras are of
6 
high-quality resolution capable of delineating the activity and physical
7 
features of individuals and areas within the prem ises being recorded.
8 
The requirem ent for the technology th at will become the storage for
9 
the recorded data m ust consider optim um  m easures to retain its integrity,
10 
preventing tam pering, deleting or copying as well as prohibiting its
11 
unauthorized use.
12 
O ther standard specifications of the cam era shall be provided in the
13 
IRR of this Act.
14 
SEC. 6. On-Body C am era R ecordings. -  In all anti-illegal drug and
15 
criminality operations of law enforcem ent officers, on-body cam eras shall
16 
record in full all the activities incidental to the conduct of the operation.
17 
There shall be continuous recording of the events throughout these
18 
encounters to ensure th at officers involved cannot m anipulate w hat is to be
19 
recorded. Neither shall the consent of any person recorded be necessary for
20 
the continuous recording of the on-body cam era.
21 
The content of the recordings become property of the State. It is vital
22 
th at these recordings are tam per-proof and access thereof shall contain
23 
im m utable audits. They shall not be accessed or downloaded w ithout
24 
obtaining prior authority from the courts.
25 
SEC. 7. P rivacy R ights. -  The use of the on-body cam era shall be
26 
m ade in a m anner consistent with the Constitution and laws on privacy.
27 
The on-body cam era shall not be used surreptitiously in order to
28 
obtain data or information th at is unrelated to the purpose of the operation.
29 
Any recording of person(s) inside a restroom , toilet, shower, bathroom .


1 
bedroom, changing room and other sim ilar areas shall not be allowed to be
2 
used as evidence in any court of law except when the suspect or the person
3 
under investigation has concealed himself a n d /o r the contraband in the
4 
places m entioned, or th at the crime was committed therein.
5 
As part of an information cam paign, the public shall be informed of
6 
the general procedure and guidelines in the conduct of the police operation
7 
with the on-body cam era in at least two (2) new spapers of general
8 
circulation. It shall likewise be posted in the website of the PNP and the
9 
PDEA and printed copies thereof shall be displayed in eveiy police precint
10 
to constitute due notice of the presence of the on-body cam era during these
11 
police operations.
12 
SEC. 8. P ro ced u re f o r  A ccess a n d  D isclosure o f R ecordings. -
13 
Only persons authorized by the court, upon application, shall have access
14 
to images and recordings from law enforcem ent or police on-body cam eras.
15 
Viewing of the images and recordings shall take place in a restricted area or
16 
in private conditions. All access granted under the circum stances m ust be
17 
docum ented and for a limited or prescribed time only. The courts shall in its
18 
discretion grant the use, viewing, copying or disclosure of images and
19 
recordings performed in accordance with this Act under the following
20 
circum stances:
21 
a) Upon request by law enforcem ent officers in connection with and
22 
limited to an investigation for the prosecution of an offense
23 
punishable by law, which is the subject of the operation or incidental
24 
to the occurrence of the operation;
25 
b) By a person whose image has been captured indubitably revealing
26 
information of a highly sensitive and personal nature;
27 
c) Where a disclosure of the recording is necessary to advance a
28 
compelling interest of the public;
29 
d) By any interested person in connection with a pending crim inal or
30 
civil proceeding to prevent a serious threat to the fair adm inistration
31 
of justice;


1 
e) To determ ine w hether an adm inistrative or crim inal offense has been
2 
committed by a law enforcem ent officer during the course of an anti-
3 
illegal drug and crim inality operation, and to ascertain his identity
4 
and the m anner by which the offense was committed.
5
6 
Law Enforcem ent Officers are prohibited to release images or
7 
recordings from the on-body cam era to the m edia or to upload the same
8 
onto public and social m edia internet websites.
9 
The courts shall give its order allowing or denying the use, copying or
10 
disclosure of images and recordings within twenty-four (24) hours after
11 
subm ission of the request, as herein specified.
12 
The public shall be informed of the procedure for the access to the
13 
images and recording of the operation in a m anner consistent with the
14 
policy of this Act.
15 
SEC. 9. R etention, S to rag e a n d  P reserv atio n . -  Unless otherwise
16 
reserved for a specific purpose to review the events of a crime, or where the
17 
recording shall be used as evidence in an adm inistrative, civil, or criminal
18 
proceeding, or where there is a formal or informal com plaint against any law
19 
enforcem ent or police officer involved in the operation, or where the
20 
operation has led to the arrest or detention of person(s), or th at the
21 
information in the recording needs to be studied further for any num ber of
22 
reasons, data of recordings shall not be kept for more than thirty (30) days
23 
and shall be deleted beyond said period.
24 
The adm inistration for the proper data storage, the chain of custody
25 
for the cam era and its recording, and the guidelines for the release of the
26 
recording with prior leave of the court, shall be provided for in detail in the
27 
Implementing Rules and Regulation which m ust be consistent with the
28 
policy established herein.
29 
SEC. 10. Officers* T raining. - There shall be an appropriate training
30 
for the law enforcem ent officers in the use and handling of the on-body


1 
cam era. It is im portant th at their knowledge shall include both the
2 
technical familiarity on usage of the cam era and the implication of
3 
Constitutional provisions and other relevant laws on the protection of
4 
privacy.
5 
SEC. 11. P erio d ic Remew. -  A bi-annual review of the use of the on-
6 
body cam era and the utilization of its recording shall be required to ensure
7 
th at the policies established under this Act are effectively implemented. A
8 
copy of the report on the findings m ade from the review conducted shall be
9 
subm itted to Congress within thirty (30) days upon its conclusion.
10 
SEC. 12. P ro h ib ited  Acts. -
11 
a.) Any law enforcem ent officer who shall participate in the anti-illegal
12 
drug and crim inality operation but fails to wear, record or
13 
otherwise interfere with the on-body cam era recording shall suffer
14 
the penalty of suspension from service for a period of six (6)
15 
m onths without pay; Provided, th at if said anti-illegal drug and
16 
criminality operation results in the injury or death of a drug
17 
personality or any other person who is not a law enforcem ent
18 
officer, the law enforcem ent officer shall suffer the penalty of
19 
perm anent removal from service; Provided, Further, th at the
20 
presum ption of irregularity and m isconduct in the course of the
21 
perform ance of his duty may be rebutted only by evidence of
22 
another recording attesting to the regularity in the conduct of the
23 
operations exculpating said officer or by proof th at circum stances
24 
has m ade it impossible for him to comply with the provisions of
25 
this Act;
26 
b.) Where a law enforcem ent officer involved in the operation has
27 
abused his authority and com m itted a crime, regardless w hether
28 
the incident has been captured in the on-body cam era recording,
29 
he shall be prosecuted under the law for the crime which he has
30 
committed and the penalty to be applied shall be the m axim um
31 
period;


1 
c.) Any use of the recording th at are not in accordance with the
2 
objective of this Act shall be punishable with an im prisonm ent of
3 
not less than six (6) m onths but not exceeding six (6) years, or a
4 
fine not less than One Hundred T housand Pesos (Php 100,000.00)
5 
bu t 
not 
more 
than 
One 
Million 
Pesos
6 
(Php 1,000,000,00) or both such fine and im prisonm ent at the
7 
discretion of the court.
8
9 
SEC. 13. A p p ro p riatio n s. - The am ount necessaiy to carry out the
10 
provisions of this Act shall be included in the budget of the D epartm ent of
11 
Interior and Local Government in the General Appropriations Act in the year
12 
immediately following its enactm ent.
13 
SEC. 14. Im plem enting R ules a n d  R egulations. -  The Director
14 
General of Philippine Drug Enforcem ent Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine
15 
National Police in close coordination with the Secretary of Interior and Local
16 
Government, and the Secretary of Justice shall issue the necessary rules
17 
and regulations for the effective im plem entation of this Act, including the
18 
determ ination of the num ber of PNP and PDEA personnel who shall be
19 
prioritized in the initial phase of im plem entation of this Act.
20 
SEC. 
15. R ep ealin g  C lause. - All laws, presidential decrees,
21 
executive orders, rules and regulations or part thereof, contraiy to or
22 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed or
23 
modified accordingly.
24 
SEC. 16. S e p a ra b ility  Clause. - If any section or provision of
25 
this Act is held unconstitutional or invalid, all other sections or
26 
provisions shall rem ain in full force and effect.
27 
SEC. 
17. 
E ffectivity 
C lause 
- 
This 
Act 
shall 
take 
effect
28 
fifteen (15) days after its publication in at least two (2) new spapers of
29 
general publication.
Approved,