Bato seeks centralized police clearance system

A bill seeking to create a national database for securing police clearances across the country has been filed by Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.

"At present, our local police databases are not integrated. A person's police clearance varies across different police stations covering their respective jurisdiction," Dela Rosa, a former chief of the Philippine National Police, said in the bill's explanatory note.

"[A person] may have a police clearance without annotation from one locality but might appear to be one of the persons alleged to have committed a crime in another," he added.

Dela Rosa said the existing system must be improved as it can easily be "manipulated" by suspects and criminals who want to obtain the clearance which is usually required by employers.

Under Senate Bill No. 1581, the National Police Clearance System (NPCS) must be established to centralize all crime-related records and streamline the process for police clearance application.

The PNP shall be the primary agency responsible for the implementation of the system and may determine, fix, and collect reasonable amounts for the issuance of this clearance.

The proposed measure also acknowledged that first-time jobseekers shall not pay any charge for the document, pursuant to an existing law.

Moreover, the bill provides that confidentiality of any personal information that will be obtained by the PNP through the police clearance application must be protected, subject to the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

Breaching the confidentiality of information contained in the NPCS whether by "carelessness, improper behavior, behavior with malicious intent, and use of confidential information for profit" may be punished with imprisonment of three months to one year and a fine of not less than P50,000 but not more than P100,000. --Dona Magsino/KBK, GMA News