Bill providing legal aid to military approved

VOTING 248 against three, the House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading the measure that would provide free legal aid to members of the military and uniformed personnel who are charged with crimes done in relation to the performance of their duties.

Covered under House Bill 6509 are officers or uniformed personnel ofthe Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Philippine National Police who are facing charges before the Prosecutor’s Office, Courts or any competent body arising from an incident related to their official duties

“It is the declared policy of the State to protect the dignity and rights of its citizens, including those responsible for upholding the Constitution, defending the sovereignty of the country and its territory against all enemies, enforcing the laws of the land, preventing crimes, and maintaining peace and order,” the HB 6509, to be known as “Free Legal Assistance for Military and Uniformed Personnel Act,” read.

“To this end, the State shall provide free legal assistance to military and uniformed personnel (MUP),” it continued, enumerating the list of uniformed personnel covered by the free legal aid for any “criminal, civil or administrative charge or case involving service-related incidents.”

Speaker Martin G. Romualdez, Majority Leader Manuel Jose M. Dalipe, Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, Ferdinand Alexander A. Marcos, Jude A. Acidre, were among the authors of the bill.