Philippine police to wear body cameras after calls for scrutiny grow

A tarpaulin bearing the face Lilibeth Valdez, the 52-year old woman who was shot and killed by a policeman off-duty, is hung on the apartment-style grave where she was laid to rest in Bagbag Cemetery, Quezon City, Philippines, June 4, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

MANILA (Reuters) - Hundreds of police in the Philippines will start wearing body cameras during operations, it police chief said on Friday, heeding demands from human rights groups for accountability after thousands of killings and allegations of cover-ups.

The announcement came after public outrage over the fatal shooting on Monday of a woman by an off-duty policeman, which led to condemnation from activists who say police brutality has become systematic under President Rodrigo Duterte and his bloody war on drugs.