Senate gives final OK on bill lowering height requirement for cops, firefighters

Voting 23-0, the Senate on Monday passed a bill seeking to lower the height requirement for Filipinos aspiring to be part of the country's uniformed personnel.

Senate Bill No. 1563 or the proposed Height Equality Act, introduced by Senator and former PNP chief Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, adjusts the height requirement for applicants of the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and Bureau of Corrections.

Under the bill, male applicants must meet the minimum height requirement of 1.57 meters (5'2'') while female applcants must at least be 1.52 meters (5'0'') in height.

Existing laws require a minimum height of 1.62 meters (5'3'') for male and 1.57 meters (5'2'') for female applicants in the said institutions.

The proposed law also states that applicants belonging to the cultural communities and indigenous peoples shall automatically be granted a waiver for the height requirement. 

The bill is seen to broaden the pool of prospective applicants in the four agencies.

"With the passage today of Senate Bill 1563... we give more in law to those who have less in height. Sa araw na ito, pinatunayan natin na tayong mga senador ay inihalal upang ipagtanggol ang maliliit—literally and figuratively," Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, principal sponsor of the bill, said in a speech.

In 2013, a bill repealing the height requirement for applicants of the PNP, BFP, and BJMP was vetoed by then-President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, maintaining that these uniformed personnel have to reach minimum height requirements to fulfill their duties well "because of the nature of [their] work." — BM, GMA News