Recto wants PNP to fast-track purchase of bodycams for ‘tokhang’ relaunch

Senator Ralph Recto INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Following the relaunch of “Oplan Tokhang,” Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto has urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to fast-track its acquisition of P334-million worth of body cameras.

“Body cams should be part of Tokhang’s reinvention. Nothing conveys good intentions better than an equipment that will record one’s best behavior,” Recto said in a statement on Tuesday.

“In this age of Facebook Live, and when dashcams are sold on the sidewalk, there’s no excuse why our policemen still do not have what is standard police gear in many countries, more so if there are already funds for their purchase,” the senator said.

The purchase of bodycams worth P334 million to be worn by policemen was approved by Congress to be included in the 2018 national budget, Recto said.

“Camp Crame should expedite their procurement and check other items in the PNP equipment shopping list, which this year’s General Appropriations Act has already funded,” Recto said.

“There’s also P100 million for CCTVs. Also up for procurement are 160 cars, 308 motorcycles, 20 special purpose vehicles, 19 boats, 10,000 sidearms, 5,000 long firearms, among other capital outlay items,” he added.

The PNP could have acquired body cameras in 2017, Recto said, “if only it had prioritized these over dogs that cost half-a-million pesos each.”

“While there was already a public clamor for policemen to wear bodycams during antidrug sweeps, the PNP omitted bodycams in their request, choosing instead 48 bomb-sniffing dogs with a price tag of P511,672 each,” Recto said.

Recto said that from the P5.6 billion included in the 2017 national budget for police modernization, P1.9 billion was released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) last August.

The P1.9 billion was based on a purchase list submitted by the PNP which included machine guns, boats, motorcycles, anti-riot gear, body vests, and bomb-sniffing dogs, the senator said.

“Medyo nakaligtaan ang bodycams (It seemed they have missed out the bodycams),” Recto said. “Hopefully, bodycams were included in subsequent releases, if there were. By September, may balanse pa na P3.7 billion doon sa P5.6 billion na pondo for police modernization.”

“Kung wala silang nabili na bodycams for the rest of 2017, eh di i-prioritize nila ‘yung P334 million para sa bodycams na nasa 2018 budget. Patunayan nila na sa pagbili ng gamit, ang pulis kung umaksyon mabilis,” Recto said.

(If they have not bought bodycams for the rest of 2017, they should have prioritized the P334 million for the bodycams listed in the 2018 budget. Prove to us that the acquisition of the equipment will justify that policemen act swiftly.) /jpv

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