Masbate Rep. Narciso Bravo and Nueva Ecija Rep. Manuel Cabochan III in bicameral conference committee meeting on lowering minimum height requirements for aspiring applicants of law enforcement agencies. (House of Representatives Twitter account)
A “hybrid” bicameral conference meeting on Monday (March 8) approved a bill lowering the minimum height requirement for applicants of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and the Bureau of Corrections.
The bicameral panel agreed to adopt Senate Bill 1563, which sets the minimum height requirement at 1.57 meters (5’2) for men and 1.52 meters (5’) for women.
The current height requirement is 1.62 meters (5’4) for males and 1.57 meters (5’2) for females.
The Association of the Underheight Applicants of Law Enforcement Agencies, which advocates for the lowering of height requirements, said they were able to get help from Masbate Rep. Narciso Bravo Jr. and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, a former PNP chief.
“Happy and excited. Happy because alam mo yun, yung mahabang panahon ng discrimination sa mga underheight applicants ay matatapos na din, and excited kasi uhaw ang mga co-members ko sa organization namin to serve and protect wholeheartedly ang public,” one of the members of the association said.
The reconciled bill will be sent to President Rodrigo Duterte for approval.
CJ Portugal did not serve in any law enforcement agency even though she finished a degree in criminology.
This was because she was an inch short of the height requirement, she said in an interview.
Deceryl Daludado, a third-year criminology student at Philippine College of Criminology, told PressOne.PH she would apply for a job in law enforcement once the bill was signed.
“Kung maisasabatas na yung sa height go na agad ako,” she said.
“Sa height kong 5’1, pabor rin sa’kin ‘to. At saka, ‘di naman basehan ang height para ma-ipagtanggol ang bayan, nasa dignidad ‘yan at pagmamahal sa bansa,” she added.
Bravo, chairman of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, led the House contingent to the bicameral panel together with Nueva Ecija Rep. Manuel Cabochan III, while the Senate contingent was headed by dela Rosa, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, and Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri. H. Camba