Miriam wants civilians banned from owning body armor

MANILA, Philippines - Any person found to have in his possession body armor or any military paraphernalia should be punished, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago proposed.

Santiago has filed a bill seeking to ban the purchase, ownership and possession of any police and military equipment without authorization.

The senator filed the proposal in the wake of reports that the firearms, equipment and personal belongings of the slain 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos in Mamasapano were being sold.

The Responsible Body Armor Possession Act, Santiago said, imposes a ban on purchase, ownership or possession of enhanced body armor by civilians except under the authority of any department or agency of the government.

“This bill will prohibit the purchase, ownership or possession of enhanced body armor by civilians; and ensure that only law enforcement, firefighters and other public officers authorized by the State will have access to enhanced body armor while carrying out their duties,” Santiago said in the explanatory note of Senate bill 2640.

Santiago noted military-grade or enhanced body armor is increasingly being used by criminals to commit robberies and other crimes and, in some cases, to protect them in gun battles with the police.

She said military-grade armor emboldens criminals to attack civilians, as the armor protects them from law enforcement ammunitions.

The term enhanced body armor means body armor, including a helmet or shield, the ballistic resistance of which meets or exceeds the ballistic performance of military-grade armor, determined by using standards specified by the secretary of National Defense.

A body armor that was lawfully possessed by any civilian before the effectivity of the act should be turned over to the Department of National Defense pursuant to the guidelines issued by the DND secretary.

Santiago proposed to slap a maximum of P100,000 fine or imprisonment of not more than 10 years or both for violation of the act.