ILOILO City – The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Western Visayas has distributed body-worn cameras to its provincial offices for operatives to wear during anti-drug operations.
“We at PDEA and the PNP (Philippine National Police) want transparent anti-drug operations. There is no reason for us not to use body-worn cameras,” PDEA Region 6 director Alex Tablate said.
PDEA’s central office has issued a directive to implement Supreme Court (SC) Circular 21-06-08 on the approved rules on the use of body-worn cameras in the execution of warrants.
The use of body cameras is mandatory when operatives serve arrest and search warrants, said Tablate, adding that this also applies to warrantless arrests such as the conduct of checkpoints and buy-bust operations, “as far as practicable.”
In the case of buy-bust operations, the use of a body camera would be too obvious while an agent makes a transaction, Tablate said, noting that the subjects of buy-busts are “very sensitive” and it would be impossible for them not to know if the agent is wearing one.
The option, he said, is for the immediate arresting officers to wear the body cameras.
The Legal and Prosecution Unit of PDEA gathered its personnel from its provincial offices in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental and the regional operations division through a virtual platform Thursday last week for a thorough discussion of the SC issuance to further strengthen its implementation. (PNA)
