The House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill providing free legal aid to police, military, and other uniformed personnel facing service-related charges, raising fears among opposition leaders that it could help security forces accused of human rights violations.
House Bill 6509, which gathered 248 yes votes, three no votes and no abstentions, specifically provides that uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police , the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology , the Bureau of Fire Protection , and the Philippine Coast Guard are entitled to free legal assistance in all stages of criminal, civil, or administrative proceedings arising from service-related incidents.
In addition, the measure allows officers or uniformed personnel of the Armed Forces, PNP, BJMP, BFP or PCG to be provided with private counsel at the expense of the government when necessary. “By providing free legal assistance under this measure, our military and uniformed personnel who sacrifice their life and limb for the preservation of our national security, public order and public safety will be able to perform their sworn duties without fear of unwarranted cases filed against them for the purpose of harassment or reprisal,” Speaker Martin Romualdez of Leyte, Yedda Romualdez and Jude Acidre of Tingog party-list and Alexander Marcos of Ilocos Norte, the authors of the bill,...
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