Bill filed seeking creation of Philippine Legislative Police

House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas has filed a bill seeking the creation of an independent and organized police force to protect the members of Congress and its properties.

In House Bill 6208, Fariñas sought the establishment of the Philippine Legislative Police (PLP), which will be under the control and supervision of the Congress, to secure the constitutionally-mandated duty of the legislative branch to enact laws.

The body will be separate from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

In his explanatory note, Fariñas noted the function of Congress to issue subpoenas, summonses and warrants of arrest which, he said, are enforced through law enforcement agencies under the Executive Department.

He cited the recent issuance of a warrant of arrest on detained Senator Leila de Lima's former aide Ronnie Dayan, who was summoned by the House for not attending the House inquiry into the alleged illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison.

"The arrest was made by the PNP, mainly because the House of Representatives does not have an enforcement body that is equipped and authorized to carry out its contempt and arrest orders," he said.

Fariñas argued that since it is under the executive branch, Congress is "helpless to do anything if the PNP and other law enforcement agencies... are remiss [in] their assigned duties."

Under the measure, the powers and functions of the PLP include securing the safety of all Congress members, their spouses and relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity "upon determination and validation that their lives are under threat," protecting the properties of the Congress, and maintaining peace and order in its premises.

The PLP will also be mandated to coordinate with other law enforcement agencies to collect intelligence information to identify threats to Congress and its members, prevent crimes within its jurisdiction, and serve subpoenas and warrants the Congress may issue.

The Philippine Legislative Board will govern the police force, composed of the chair of the House and Senate's Committee on Public Order, both houses' sergeant-at-arms, and a retired AFP general or PNP chief superintendent.

The board members will serve for three years and are mandated to select, appoint and promote PLP personnel, and are responsible for their deployment, placement and utilization, among others.

To qualify as officer of the PLP, an applicant must be a citizen of the Philippines, a person of good moral conduct and not have been convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude, must have passed the psychiatric, drug and physical tests of accredited hospitals, possesses a formal baccalaureate program, eligible in accordance with the standards set by the PLP board.

Applicants must also be at least 1.62 meters in height for male and 1.57 meters for female, weigh not more than or less than five kilograms from the standard weight corresponding to height, age and sex.

New applicants must likewise not be less than 21 years old nor 29 years old for female and 32 years old for male.

Officers of the PLP will undergo continuous training and education, be entitled to promotion, and receive salaries, benefits and other allowances authorized for corresponding salary grades provided under existing laws.

Administrative complaint and disciplinary actions may be filed against any erring officer, the penalties of which include withholding of privileges, forfeiture of salary, suspension or any combination thereof, for a period of not more than 180 days.

The PLP board can also dismiss an officer if he or she is charged with a case of moral turpitude and evidence of guilt is strong, has been repeatedly charged with reasonable grounds to believe that he or she is guilty of the charges, and is guilty of a serious offense involving conduct unbecoming of an officer. —KG/KVD, GMA News