Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan (Facebook)

Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan is prodding the Philippine National Police (PNP) to expand its digitalized crime reporting system and other technological innovations to help fight crime through increased citizen participation.

In a statement on Monday, Oct. 29, Yamsuan said that shifting to technology-driven strategies will help the PNP’s performance in dealing with crimes, as well as boost public trust and confidence in the police force. 

“Kadalasan, kahit may nakikita na tayong kahina-hinala sa ating paligid o may nangyayari na mismong krimen ay nag-aatubili tayong pumunta sa police station o tumawag para mai-report ito,” the lawmaker noted.

(Usually, we are hesitant to call or go to the police station even if we are already seeing something suspicious in our surroundings or witnessing an ongoing crime.)

“Kung maipapatupad sa buong bansa ang paggamit ng digital app ng PNP, mas mahihikayat ang publiko na mai-report ang mga suspicious activities at krimen sa kanilang komunidad gamit ang kanilang cell phone,” he stressed.

(If the PNP’s digital app is implemented nationwide, the public would be encouraged to report suspicious activities and crimes using their cell phone.)

Yamsuan’s appeal is in response to the initial rollout of the Law Enforcement Reporting and Information System (LERIS) in Metro Manila, which was overseen by PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil.

LERIS is a digitalized policing application that aims to allow the public to report suspicious incidents and crimes using their mobile phones. 

“With cell phones being a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, LERIS could be a gamechanger that could lead to improved police response times. If implemented properly on a nationwide scale, this would encourage many citizens to be more proactive in helping prevent crime,” said Yamsuan.

LERIS, which was developed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), can be accessed via the eGovPH app by clicking the eReport icon. 

As of this posting, the app is being tested in the PNP districts under the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO). It is expected to be fully operational within Metro Manila by the end of the year. 

With this, Yamsuan said the NCRPO should already consider launching an information drive in social media to start familiarizing the public with LERIS through the eGovPH app.

The Bicol Saro solon also pointed out that these innovations would be far more effective if they are to be complemented by “hard” technologies.

He noted that while these tools are being developed, the PNP should also increase the use of CCTV cameras in public places and make body-worn cameras mandatory in law enforcement operations, when applicable.

Yamsuan recalled that Marbil has already planned to procure body-worn cameras with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

Under the proposed P6.325 trillion national budget for fiscal year 2025 approved by the House of Representatives, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) was earmarked P281.3 billion. 

Of this amount, 73 percent, or P206.2 billion is allocated to the PNP. The implementation of LERIS is expected to receive P1.2 billion for next year.

“Given the P1.2 billion allocation for LERIS, we hope that the PNP could further widen the reach of this digital policing app so that it could be  implemented nationwide by next year,” said Yamsuan.