To promote efficiency and transparency in the administration of justice, several House members recently filed House Bill (HB) 9194 that would mandate the Bureau of Correction (BuCor) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to establish a “Digital Prison Records System” designed to store, manage and share information related to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), their cases, relevant court orders, and other related matters.
Section 3 of the bill provides that the BuCor and the BJMP would undertake the digitalization and migration to the system of their paper-based documents and records concerning PDLs under their respective custody.
Moreover, Section 4 states that the system would be accessible to law enforcement agencies and the courts through their duly authorized officers and agents, as well as to the legal counsels of the PDLs, which may be integrated with the existing records management system of law enforcement agencies and the courts, upon the consent of the Supreme Court.
Personal and sensitive information would be processed and shared in compliance with Republic Act 10173, or the Data Privacy Act.
The BuCor and BJMP would coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), National Privacy Commission (NPC) and other relevant agencies in promulgating the rules and regulations for the proper implementation of the Act within 90 days from its effectivity.
Section 5 provides that the system would be kept secure and free from interference and unauthorized access by equipping it with security measures to protect the integrity and confidentiality of the stored information and data.
