MANILA – Legislators on Thursday pushed for House approval of House Bill No. 6530, which requires police and other law enforcement agencies to use body-worn cameras during operations. Solid North Party-list Rep. Ching Bernos and Abra Rep. JB Bernos made the appeal following the Senate’s approval of a similar measure.
Senate Bill No. 1908, passed on March 16, mandates body cameras for personnel from the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. HB 6530 seeks to replicate and enforce this measure nationwide.
The Body Cam bill provides protocols for recording, storing, and disclosing footage, while ensuring privacy protections in line with the 1987 Constitution and the Data Privacy Act of 2012. Rep. Ching Bernos stressed that the law would help prevent misconduct during operations and uphold the rights of both citizens and officers.
“This legislation will safeguard against illegal searches, wrongful arrests, and other abuses that threaten public trust in law enforcement,” she said. The bill would also reinforce earlier Supreme Court rules issued in 2021 on body camera usage, which have so far seen limited and uneven implementation.
Rep. JB Bernos lauded the PNP’s plan to roll out 17,000 body cameras in May and expressed optimism that all units across the country would eventually be covered.
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