Gatchalian wants Senate to discuss funding for police body cam proposal

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian. Nestor Corrales / INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday vowed to push for the inclusion of funding for the implementation of the proposed body camera policy for police anti-drug operatives during Senate deliberations on the 2018 national budget.

“The public clamor for greater transparency and accountability in the government’s war on drugs can be immediately addressed by getting the body camera program up and running,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

READ: Senator wants cops to wear body cameras during drug raids

“The quickest way to do this is to appropriate funds for the program in the 2018 national budget,” Gatchalian added.

However, the neophyte senator said that the high cost of procuring and maintaining police body cameras would require a realistic approach to the initial implementation of the program.

Gatchalian proposed the prioritization of the Philippine National Police-Drug Enforcement Group (PNP-DEG) and its affiliated local Drug Enforcement Teams (DETs), which are the primary units designated to conduct anti-illegal drugs operations under PNP’s Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded, during the first wave of procurement.

He said that he would request the PNP to provide a detailed report on the number of personnel assigned to drug enforcement units in order to calculate the funding needed.

He underlined the controversial P900 million allocations for Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded in the proposed budget as a possible funding source.

Gatchalian said that the police body camera program “will provide the Filipino people with immediate protection against police scalawags and their abuses of authority.”

“Wherever we need to source the funds, we’ll do it,” he said.  Christia Marie Ramos / Inquirer Volunteer Corps / JPV