CHR backs body cameras for police operations

Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairman Chito Gascon has expressed support for the proposal to require police to wear body cameras during police operations.

He said this may help address issues surrounding “nanlaban” cases, or cases wherein suspects were killed because they allegedy fought back against the police but which turn out to be summary executions, as in the case of Grade 11 student Kian Loyd delos Santos.

“Dead men tell no tales. If a person is dead and the police said that he fought back, who will prove that that is not what happened?” Gascon said in Filipino.

“The Kian case is important because there is a CCTV video… The problem is that not all places have CCTV. That’s why the proposal to give police body cams during operations, that’s a good step because it will prevent abuses from happening,” he added.

Gascon also noted the need to strengthen the criminal justice system and the witness protection program to ensure prosecution of the suspects.

“There’s so much that needs to be done in so far as our criminal justice system, but we have to begin somewhere. It begins with the Kian delos Santos case,” he said, noting that the administration has clarified that it will not condone violation of police operations procedures.

“We at the CHR, we will hold the state to account for these pronouncements and we hope that moving forward, we can address problems that have emerged,” added the CHR chief.