Does height really matter for incoming PNP personnel?
Does height matter for incoming police personnel of Philippine National Police to have an efficient service to people?
Last April 2013,
former President Noynoy Aquino vetoed the House Bill No. 6203 and Senate Bills
No. 3217, which dismisses the height requirements for the police, fire, and
jail personnel.
Former Deputy
Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, representing PNoy, pointed out the
following as to why the bill was vetoed:
[1] The job requires physical qualities – notably the height,
and size – for the well-being of the professional and his co-workers and in
serving and securing the citizens.
[2] The necessities might be deferred under existing laws, Republic Act 6975, as amended by RA 8551 in particular; consequently, rejecting the prerequisite is redundant.
The former Palace
official—who was backed by police, fire and correctional facility authorities
at the time—noted there was no exclusion intended.
She said the departments
have its version of prerequisites, especially for the heavy materials and stern
situations, for example, securing an unfortunate victim from a seething flame
or bringing down a powerful gangster.
The typical picture of
crime and disaster responder, as seen on TV shows and films, is that of a
significant and transcending individual who’s fit to battle the perpetrator or
save the world.
“No evidence.”
Senator Juan Miguel
“Migz”
Zubiri and Cebu third District Representative Pablo John Garcia on July 2019,
refiled an act which repeals the height requirement for PNP, BFP, and BJMP
officials.
They pushed for the
bill once more, expressing that the height, or the scarcity thereof, ought not
to be a limit to police, fire or correctional facility officials in serving the
public.
“There is absolutely no empirical
evidence that people who possess the mandated minimum height would be more
effective and efficient police, fire or jail officers than those who do not,”
Garcia added.
The lawmakers underscored that the tallness necessity confines the PNP, BFP, and BJMP candidates who might be progressively qualified, equipped deserving of the job post but don’t meet at the recommended height.
Rewriting the rules
The PNP, BFP and BJMP
authorities might be pivotal to the section of Congressman Garcia’s refiled
bill. All things considered, they should know better what sort of individuals
their associations need.
With their experience
and concentrates as the years progressed, they should have a state in modifying
the activity capabilities that are currently in the law.
Sen. Ping Lacson, a
previous national police chief, in 2013 said rejecting of the height guideline
was satisfactory to him yet needed a stricter implementation on the waistline
of the candidate.
The present principle
gives that a candidate’s weight should be proportional to the weight and height
per age, but doesn’t guarantee the applicant of having a potbelly.
Height waiver, anyone?
Meanwhile, there is a
bill which aims to strike down the barrier for everyone affected, with no
distinction, especially now that more law enforcers are needed.
The National Police
Commission (Napolcom) in 2013 has created a three-person committee through Memorandum
Circular No. 2013-004 to evaluate police applicants who do not meet the minimum age,
weight and height requirements but possess exceptional skills and talents
useful to the service.
The law governing the
three agencies mandate that males have to be at least 1.62 meters tall (5’4”) while females
need to be at least 1.57 meters (about 5’2”) to be able to apply unless they are “members of the
cultural communities” in which case they are issued waivers.
Height waiver is
issued for applicants for the government mentioned above institutions provided
that the applicant is a member of Indigenous Peoples (IP) or Muslim Filipinos
as certified by the NCIP and NCMF, respectively.
Before applying for a
height waiver, the applicant must first secure the Certificate of Confirmation
from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples or the Certificate of Muslim
Filipino Tribal Membership from the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos.
Any objections?
Now, does height really matter for incoming police personnel of Philippine National Police to have an efficient service to people?
President Duterte, in
any case, may have a few objections regarding what PNoy pointed out – or
support the new bill which was refiled by Congressman Garcia without any
protests.
Do they support in all-out removal of the height requirements
for the candidates, or would they like to keep Memorandum Circular No. 2013-004
as it is?
They can say, as PNoy
did, that at any rate, existing laws enable the influenced organizations to
defer the standard for “vertically challenge” candidates who have remarkable
abilities.
Therefore, it is up
for the lawmakers to decide over the issue of retaining or removing the height
requirements for PNP, BFP, and BJMP aspiring candidates.