(MANILA BULLETIN)

Police bodycam recordings must be unedited, untampered, and properly handled.

Thus, stressed Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan on Thursday, Jan. 18 as he told the Philippine National Police (PNP) to ensure the integrity of the recordings of body-worn cameras (bodycams) used in law enforcement operations amid a plan to procure some 22,000 such devices this year.

“We in Congress want to institutionalize the use of bodycams to protect both our citizens and our police officers from abuse and false accusations. The use of bodycams will also help maintain trust in police operations,” said Yamsuan, a member of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety.

“However, the PNP should make sure that bodycam recordings remain unedited and untampered. Police officers should also be well-versed in police operational procedures, especially on evidence gathering, which require their continuing education and training. Both of these will ensure the effective use of bodycams in building airtight cases against suspected criminals,” added the solon, who is also a former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) assistant secretary.

Under the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or national budget, some P807.3 million has been allocated by the PNP for the procurement of around 22,000 bodycams, Yamsuan said.

To ensure that this planned massive procurement of bodycams is put to good use, the PNP should properly train its technical personnel tasked to take custody of the recordings in these devices to preserve their integrity as pieces of evidence, the rookie solon noted.

He said the PNP should also ensure that its uniformed personnel undergo regular training and continuing education on police operational procedures and the protocols on the use of bodycams to prevent allegations of misconduct, violations of privacy and other irregularities when conducting their operations.

In a recent statement, the PNP chief, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said the procurement of the bodycams is part of the police's ongoing efforts to keep the Philippines’ ranking as the third safest country in Southeast Asia as recognized in the Gallup Law and Order Index for 2023.

Yamsuan pointed out that while bodycams are now widely used to help deter inappropriate police behavior and protect crime suspects from abuses, there have been cases in other countries of law enforcement officers editing or deleting footage from such devices.

“If that happens here, then the funds we allocated to procure these bodycams would just go to waste. That’s why it is very important for bodycam recordings to be protected from any form of tampering," he said.

Yamsuan pointed out that in the 2024 GAA, the allocation for the PNP’s education and training component is P1.26 billion, up by about 7.6 percent from P1.17 billion in 2023.

He urged Acorda to allot a portion of this P1.26 billion allocation to the training of technical personnel who will secure and file bodycam recordings.

In May last year, the House Public Order and Safety Committee tackled several bills that sought to institutionalize the use by police officers of body-worn cameras during law enforcement operations. The measures were referred to the sub-committee on police operations for further action.