REP. Brian Yamsuan (PL, Bicol Saro) yesterday urged the PNP to expand the use of its digitalized crime reporting system called Law Enforcement Reporting and Information System (LERIS), an internet policing app which would allow the public to report suspicious incidents and crimes using their mobile phones.
“With cellphones being a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, LERIS could be a gamechanger that could lead to improved police response times. If implemented properly on a nationwide scale, this would encourage many citizens to be more proactive in helping prevent crime,” said Yamsuan, a former interior assistant secretary.
Under the P6.325-trillion proposed national budget for 2025 approved by the House of Representatives, the Department of Interior and Local Government will receive P281.3 billion, of which 73 percent or 206.2 billion is allocated to the PNP. The LERIS implementation will get a P1.2-billion budget.
“Given the P1.2-billion allocation for LERIS, we hope that the PNP could further widen the reach of this digital policing app so that it could be implemented nationwide by next year,” Yamsuan said.
LERIS, developed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology, can be accessed via the eGovPH app by clicking the eReport icon. It is currently being tested in the PNP districts under the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and is expected to be fully operational within Metro Manila by the end of the year.
Yamsuan said the NCRPO should launch an information drive on social media to familiarize the public with the use of the LERIS through the eGovPH app.
He said “soft” technological tools like LERIS should be complemented by “hard” technologies, such as increased use of CCTV cameras especially in public places, and making body-worn cameras mandatory in law enforcement operations.
Yamsuan expressed optimism Congress would still be able to pass one of his co-authored measures, House Bill 4708, which seeks to mandate the use of body-worn cameras during law enforcement operations.
He is also a co-author of HB 8068, which aims to require business establishments to install CCTVs in and around their premises.
“Usually, we are hesitant to call or go to the police station even if we are already seeing something suspicious in our surroundings or witnessing an ongoing crime. If the PNP’s digital app is implemented nationwide, the public would be encouraged to report suspicious activities and crimes using their cellphone,” Yamsuan said.
