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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senate OKs bill requiring law enforcers to wear body cameras

Senate OKs bill requiring law enforcers to wear body cameras

Published Mar 16, 2026 05:14 pm

At A Glance

  • Deputy Majority Leader Sen. Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito said Senate Bill No. 1908 or the Law Enforcement Body-worn Camera Act will strengthen transparency and accountability in law enforcement once it is enacted into law.


The Senate has approved on third and final reading the bill requiring law enforcement officers to wear body cameras during official operations.

(Photo from the Senate of the Philippines)
(Photo from the Senate of the Philippines)

Deputy Majority Leader Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said Senate Bill No. 1908 or the Law Enforcement Body-worn Camera Act will strengthen transparency and accountability in law enforcement once it is enacted into law.

The measure aims to provide protection to both civilians and uniformed personnel during police operations.

“With the use of body-worn cameras, suspicion against our police force will be removed while protecting the human rights of our citizens,” said Ejercito, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs.

The senator said the body-worn cameras would serve as “impartial witnesses” in documenting police operations.

Under the proposed law, the wearing of body cameras will be mandatory during operations conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Under the bill, the minimum technical standards for the devices to ensure the reliability of recordings will be at least 1080p Full HD resolution, built-in audio recording, date and time stamping, and GPS capability.

The proposed law also provides strict penalties against those who will fail to activate the cameras during operations, make unauthorized access to recordings, commit negligent disclosure, tampering, destruction, or other improper use of footage.

Related Tags

Body cameras JV Ejercito SENATE PNP Police abuse
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