House OKs bill removing height requirement for cops, firemen, jail guards

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved on second reading a bill scrapping the height requirement for those applying to be policemen, firemen and jail guards.  House Bill 6203 seeks to encourage competent applicants who may be hindered by the height requirement to enter the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).            

The measure seeks to amend Section 30 of Republic Act 6975 or the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990 and Section 4 of Republic Act 9263, otherwise known as the Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Professionalization Act of 2004.

The authors of the bill are Representatives Pablo John Garcia (Cebu), Rodolfo Antonino (Nueva Ecija), Romeo Acop (Antipolo City), Mel Senen Sarmiento (Western Samar), Joseph Emilio Abaya (Cavite), Tomas Apacible (Batangas), Leopoldo Bataoil (Pangasinan), David Kho (Senior Citizens party-list) and Nasser Pangandaman (AA-Kasosyo party-list).  Garcia, principal author of the measure, said height should not be a restriction for those who want to serve the country as police, fire and jail officers provided they possess other qualifications required for the effective performance of their duties.    

The lawmaker cited Article XII Section 1 of the Constitution, which mandates Congress “to give highest priority to the enactment of measures that protect and enhance the right of all people to human dignity, reduce social, economic and political inequalities, and remove cultural inequities by equitably diffusing wealth and political power for the common good.”          

He also cited Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “all are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and any incitement of such discrimination.”