(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a measure that gives selected Philippine National Police officials the power to issue subpoenas.
Republic Act No. 10973, signed by the President on March 1, 2018, particularly gives the PNP chief, and the director and deputy director for administration of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group the authority to issue subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum “in relation to their investigation.”
“The subpoena shall state the nature and purpose of investigation, (and) shall be directed to the person whose presence is required..,” the law said.
The subpoena duces tecum, on the other hand, it said, “shall also contain a reasonable description of the books, documents or things demanded which must be relevant to the investigation.”
“Failure to comply with subpoena and subpoena duces tecum shall authorize the filing of a case for indirect contempt under the Rules of Court with the Regional Trial Court,” the law said.
RA 10973, which effectively amends RA 6975 or the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990, will take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two newspapers of general circulation.
Only the Ombudsman, the courts, the Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Internal Revenue had the power to issue subpoenas prior to its enactment.
