[ Commonwealth Act No. 181, November 13, 1936 ]

AN ACT CREATING A DIVISION OF INVESTIGATION UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND DUTIES, AND APPROPRIATING THE ,NECESSARY FUNDS THEREFOR.

Be it enacted by the National Assembly of the Philippines:SECTION 1. A Division of Investigation under the Department of Justice is hereby created. It shall be composed of such personnel as may be neeessary, in the discretion of the Secretary of Justice, and its duties shall be to help in the detection and prosecution of crimes; to acquire, collect, classify and preserve criminal identification records; and to obtain information on all matters affecting the public interest.SEC. 2. The Chief of the Division of Investigation and its subordinate personnel shall be appointed by the Secretary of Justice, who shall fix their compensation, subject to the approval of the President.SEC. 3. The Chief of the Division of Investigation and such of his subordinate personnel as may be specifically designated by the Secretary of Justice in their respective appointments or commissions, shall be peace officers, and 1 as such are empowered to serve warrants and suhpcenas issued under the authority of the Government of the Commonwealth; to make searches and seizures under legal warrant for violations of the laws of the Philippines; to make arrests without warrant for a crime which has been committed in their presence, or within their view, or in cases where the person making the arrest has reasonable grounds to strongly believe that the person so arrested Is guilty of such crime and where there is a likelihood of the person escaping before a legal warrant can be obtained for his arrest, but the person arrested shall be immediately taken before the competent court of justice.SEC. 4. To carry out the purposes of this Act, there is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the Philippine Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, the sum of seventy-five thousand pesos or so much thereof as may be necessary, to be expended in the discretion of the Secretary of Justice, subject only to the supervision of the President.SEC. 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.Approved, November 13, 1936.

Source: Supreme Court E-Library