COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY

DATE/TIME: 15 December 2020 (Tuesday) at 1:00 P. M.

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Part I. Committee Report on the Substitute Bill to HBs 2242, 3639,
5340, 6635, 7520, 7639, 7960 and SBN 1563 - Lowering the Minimum
AGENDA: Height Requirement and Removing the Height Waiver for Applicants to
the PNP, BFP, BJMP and BuCor

Part II. Initial Deliberation on the Draft Substitute Bill to HBs 2247,
3065 and 7734 - Strengthening the Internal Affairs of the PNP

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Part I. Committee Report on the Substitute Bill to HBs 2242, 3639,

5340, 6635, 7520, 7639, 7960 and SBN 1563 - Lowering the Minimum
Height Requirement and Removing the Height Waiver for

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COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY
Applicants to the PNP, BFP, BJMP and BuCor

OBJECTIVES:
1. To lower the minimum height requirement for applicants to the
BILL Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection
SYNOPSIS: (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and
Bureau of Corrections (Bucor).
KEY PROVISIONS:
1. SEC. 2. Section 30 of Republic Act No. 6975, otherwise known
as the “Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of
1990”, as amended by Republic Act No. 8551, otherwise known
as the “Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization
Act of 1998”, is further amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 30. General Qualifications for Appointment. – No person shall
be appointed as officer or member of the PNP unless he or she possesses
the following minimum qualifications:
Xxx
h) Must be at least one meter and [sixty-two] FIFTY-SEVEN
centimeters [(1.62. 2 m.)] (1.57 M.) in height for male and one meter and
[fifty-seven] FIFTY-TWO centimeters [(1.57 m.)] (1.52 M.) for female:
PROVIDED, THAT APPLICANTS BELONGING TO THE
CULTURAL COMMUNITIES OR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MUST
BE AT LEAST ONE METER AND FIFTY-TWO CENTIMETERS
(1.52 M) FOR MALE, AND ONE METER AND FORTY-SEVEN
CENTIMETERS (1.47 M.) FOR FEMALE: PROVIDED, FURTHER,
THAT THE HEIGHT REQUIREMENT FOR CADETS OF THE
PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE ACADEMY (PNPA) SHALL BE
RETAINED AT ONE METER AND SIXTY-TWO CENTIMETERS
(1.62 M.) FOR MALE, AND ONE METER AND FIFTY-SEVEN
CENTIMETERS (1.57 M.) FOR FEMALE;
2. SEC. 3. Section 15 of Republic Act No. 8551, otherwise known
as the “Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization
Act of 1998”, is amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 15. Waivers for Initial Appointments to the PNP. – The
age, [height,] weight, and educational requirements for initial
appointment to the PNP may be waived only when the number of
qualified applicants fall below the minimum annual quota:
Provided, That an applicant shall not be below twenty (20) nor
over (35) years of age: Provided, further, That any applicant not

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COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY
meeting the weight requirement shall be given reasonable time
but not exceeding six (6) months within which to comply with the
said requirement: Provided, furthermore, That only applicants
who have finished second year college or have earned at least
seventy-two (72) collegiate units leading to a bachelor’s degree
shall be eligible for appointment: Provided, furthermore, That
anybody who will enter the service without a baccalaureate
degree shall be given a maximum of four (4) years to obtain the
22 required educational qualification [: Provided, finally, That a
waiver for height requirement shall 23 be automatically granted
to applicants belonging to the cultural communities].

3. SEC. 4. Section 16 of Republic Act No. 8551, otherwise known

as the “Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization
Act of 1998”, is amended to read as follows:

“SEC. 16. Selection Criteria Under the Waiver Program. –

The selection of applicants under the Waiver Program shall be
subject to the following minimum criteria:

a) XXX
b) The requirements shall be waived in the following order:
(a) age, [(b) height,] [(c)] (B) 30 weight, and [(d)] (C) education.

4. SEC. 5. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 9263, otherwise known as

the “Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management
and Penology Professionalization Act of 2004”, is amended to
read as follows:

“SEC. 4. Professionalization and Upgrading of Qualification

Standards in the Appointment of Uniformed Personnel to the BFP
and the BJMP. – No person shall be appointed as uniformed
personnel of the BFP and the BJMP unless he/she possesses the
following minimum qualifications:

Xxx
“h) Must be at least one meter and [sixty-two] FIFTY-SEVEN
centimeters [(1.62 8 m.)] (1.57 M.) in height for male, and one
meter and [fifty-seven] FIFTY-TWO centimeters [(1.57 m.)]
(1.52 M.) for female: Provided, That [a waiver for height and age
10 requirement/s shall be automatically granted to] applicants
belonging to the cultural communities OR INDIGENOUS
PEOPLES MUST BE AT LEAST ONE METER AND FIFTY

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COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY
TWO CENTIMETERS (1.52 M) FOR MALE, AND ONE
METER AND FORTY-SEVEN CENTIMETERS (1.47 M.) FOR
FEMALE;

“Provided, That a new applicant must not be less than twenty-

one (21) nor more than thirty (30) years of age: PROVIDED,
FURTHER, THAT A WAIVER OF AGE REQUIREMENT
SHALL BE AUTOMATICALLY GRANTED TO
APPLICANTS BELONGING TO THE CULTURAL
COMMUNITIES OR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: except for this
particular provision, the above-enumerated qualifications shall be
continuing in character and an absence of any one of them at any
given time shall be a ground for separation or retirement from the
service: Provided, further, That the uniformed personnel who are
already in the service prior to the effectivity of Republic Act No.
9263 shall be given another five (5) years to obtain the minimum
educational qualification and appropriate civil service eligibility
to be reckoned from the date of effectivity of this Act: Provided,
furthermore, That concerned BFP and BJMP members who have
rendered more than fifteen years of service at the time of the
effectivity of this Act shall no longer be required to comply with
the aforementioned educational and eligibility requirements.
Likewise, those personnel who have acquired National Police
Commission (NAPOLCOM) eligibility prior to the effectivity of
Republic Act No. 9263 shall no longer be required to obtain the
appropriate civil service eligibility: Provided, finally, That
within the five-year extension period stipulated herein, the issue
of whether or not the BFP shall be devolved to local government
units shall be revisited by Congress, and as circumstances
demand, be immediately implemented.

5. SEC. 6. Section 11 of Republic Act No. 10575, otherwise known

as “The Bureau of 17 Corrections Act of 2013” is amended to
read as follows:

“Section 11. Professionalization and Upgrading of

Qualification Standards in the Appointment of the BuCor
Personnel. – (a) No person shall be appointed as personnel of the
BuCor unless one possesses the following minimum
qualifications:

“(8) Must be at least one meter and [sixty-two] FIFTY-

SEVEN centimeters [(1.62 31 m.)] (1.57 M.) in height for male

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COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY
and one meter and [fifty-seven] FIFTY-TWO centimeters [(1.57
m.)] (1.52 M.) for female: Provided, That [a waiver for height
and age requirements 33 may be granted to] applicants belonging
to the cultural communities OR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
MUST BE AT LEAST ONE METER AND FIFTY-TWO
CENTIMETERS (1.52 35 M.) FOR MALE, AND ONE METER
AND FORTY-SEVEN CENTIMETERS (1.47 M.) FOR
FEMALE: Provided, further, That a new applicant must not be
less than twenty one (21) or more than forty (40) years of age.
PROVIDED, FURTHERMORE, THAT A WAIVER OF AGE
REQUIREMENT MAY BE GRANTED TO APPLICANTS
BELONGING TO THE CULTURAL COMMUNITIES OR
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES. Except for this particular provision,
the above-enumerated qualifications shall be continuing in
character and an absence of any one of them at any given time
shall be ground for separation or retirement from the service:
Provided, furthermore FINALLY, That those who are already in
the service upon the effectivity of this Act shall be given five (5)
years from the date of such effectivity to obtain the minimum
educational qualification and eligibility with subsidiary assistance
as provided for in this Act.

1. Mister Chairman, I would like to ask anyone from our resource

speakers either from the DILG or NAPOLCOM or PNP or BFP
or BJMP or Bucor;

QUESTIONS: Sir, may I know, what is your basis for the five (5) centimeter
reduction of the height requirement? For male from 1.62 meters
to 1.57 meters and for female from 1.57 meters to 1.52 meters.

E paano kapag 1.56 meters lang ang height ko but I really want to
join the force, outright denial na po ba? Walang leeway o di kaya
breathing space?

2. Ang lahing Pilipino naman ay talagang hindi katangkaran. At

minsan pa nga iyong mas maliliit o petite ay mas maliksi pa kesa
sa matatangkad.

Ano ang kahalagahan ng pagbibigay ng saktong sukat ng taas sa

ating mga aplikante?

Ano ang “goal” natin dito?

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COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY
3. Bakit po sa height lamang ang may exact measurement? Paano
naman ang ating weight requirement?

4. Under Section 3, it was provided that the age, weight, and

educational requirements for initial appointment to the PNP may
be waived only when the number of qualified applicants fall
below the minimum annual quota.

May I know what is the annual recruitment quota of the PNP?

Historically, how are we in terms of achieving the mentioned

quota? Madami po bang nag-a-apply o nagkukulang na po ba?

5. I observed that a new amendment was included in the substitute

bill pertaining automatic waiver of age requirement to applicants
belonging to the cultural communities or indigenous people.

What is the rationale for this?

Bakit po nalimitahan ito sa mga kapatid nating IPs lamang at

hindi sa lahat ng Pilipino na nais magserbisyo?

Thank you.
Part II. Initial Deliberation on the Draft Substitute Bill to HBs 2247,
3065 and 7734 - Strengthening the Internal Affairs of the PNP
BILL
SYNOPSIS: OBJECTIVE:
To establish and maintain a strengthened Internal Affairs (IA)
that shall be the primary instrument to measure, enhance, and
instill performance and discipline among all PNP units and
personnel. The IA shall conduct its investigation and
prosecution in an impartial, independent, expeditious, and
professional manner, thereby ensuring the citizenry of an
unbiased police disciplinary mechanism.
KEY PROVISIONS:
1. SEC. 3. Sec. 39. Creation, Powers, and Functions. – An Internal
Affairs (IA) [Service (IAS) of the PNP] is hereby created which
shall[:] BE AN INDEPENDENT, IMPARTIAL, EFFECTIVE, AND
EFFICIENT INSTITUTIONAL GUARDIAN OF INTEGRITY.
THE IA SHALL BE UNDER THE DIRECT SUPERVISION
OF THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR AND LOCAL

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COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY
GOVERNMENT AS AN ATTACHED AGENCY OF
THENATIONAL POLICE COMMISSION (NAPOLCOM).
I. GENERAL FUNCTIONS:
XXX
C. MONITOR AND INVESTIGATE THE LIFESTYLE OF AND
UNEXPLAINED ACCUMULATION OF WEALTH, HAVING NO
CREDIBLE PURPOSE OR ORIGIN, UNDERLYING TRADE
OBLIGATION OR CONTRACT, BY UNIFORMED MEMBERS
OF THE PNP;
III. OTHER FUNCTIONS
XXX
B. THE IA SHALL RECOMMEND TO THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE (DOJ) THE PROTECTION OF WITNESSES WHO ARE
VITAL TO THE CONDUCT OF INVESTIGATION AND
EFFECTIVE PROSECUTION OF UNIFORMED MEMBERS OF
THE PNP FACING AN ADMINISTRATIVE OR CRIMINAL
CASE;
C. THE IA MAY DIRECT ANY PNP COMMANDER, SUPERIOR,
OR SUPERVISOR TO PLACE ANY RESPONDENT UNDER
RESTRICTIVE CUSTODY PENDING INVESTIGATION ON
ALLEGED COMMISSION OF SERIOUS OR GRAVE CRIMES
OR OFFENSES; AND
D. UPON FILING OF A FORMAL CHARGE, THE IA MAY,
MOTU PROPRIO OR UPON MOTION OF THE COMPLAINING
PARTY, ORDER THE PREVENTIVE SUSPENSION OF ANY
POLICE PERSONNEL FOR A PERIOD NOT EXCEEDING
NINETY (90) DAYS
XXX
IN THE EXERCISE OF THE FOREGOING FUNCTIONS,
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL (IG) OR THE IA REGIONAL
DIRECTOR (RD), AS THE CASE MAY BE, HAS THE POWER
TO ISSUE SUBPOENA.”
2. SEC. 4. “SEC. 40. ORGANIZATION. – THE INTERNAL
AFFAIRS (IA) IS HEREBY REORGANIZED AS A FULLY
INDEPENDENT AGENCY ATTACHED TO THE NAPOLCOM.
“THE IA SHALL BE HEADED BY AN INSPECTOR GENERAL
(IG), WHO SHALL BE ASSISTED BY A DEPUTY INSPECTOR
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COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY
GENERAL WHO IS A UNIFORMED PERSONNEL WITH THE
RANK OF POLICE MAJOR GENERAL.
3. SEC. 5. QUALIFICATION AND TERM OF OFFICE OF THE
INSPECTOR GENERAL (IG) – THE IG SHALL BE APPOINTED
BY THE PRESIDENT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF
THE [Director General and duly endorsed by the Commission]
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT.
“THE IG SHALL SERVE FOR A TERM OF SIX (6) YEARS
WITHOUT REAPPOINTMENT, OR UPON REACHING THE
COMPULSORY RETIREMENT AGE OF SIXTY-FIVE (65)
YEARS OLD, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST, AND MUST BE:
A. A CITIZEN OF THE PHILIPPINES;
B. A MEMBER OF THE PHILIPPINE BAR IN GOOD
STANDING, WITH AT LEAST TEN (10) YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE IN HANDLING CRIMINAL OR
ADMINISTRATIVE CASES;
C. FROM THE CIVILIAN SECTOR WHO IS NEITHER AN
ACTIVE NOR FORMER MEMBER OF THE POLICE OR
MILITARY.
4. SEC. 6. Sec. 42 “THE IA SHALL HAVE ITS OWN LATERAL
ENTRY QUOTA FOR LAWYERS.”
5. SEC. 13. “SEC. 49. DECISIONS OF THE IA. – THE
DECISIONS OF THE IA IN CASES FALLING UNDER ITS
JURISDICTION SHALL BE FINAL AND EXECUTORY:
PROVIDED, THAT DEMOTION OR DISMISSAL FROM THE
SERVICE MAY BE APPEALED TO THE NATIONAL
APPELLATE BOARD OR THE REGULAR COURTS, AS MAY
BE APPROPRIATE.
1. The Inspector General (IG) who will be the head of the PNP
Internal Affairs (IA) is a lawyer by profession and is neither an
QUESTIONS:
active nor former member of the Police or Military, right?

2. What is the basis of this?

3. Can you cite a tangible basis or study perhaps for coming up with
this structure?

4. Recently, statistics show the increase of lawyers being killed with

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COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ORDER AND SAFETY
impunity.

Having a civilian as a head of IA investigating uniformed police

force, hindi kaya “ma-bully” naman?

5. What are the possible protection mechanisms provided for by the

law to counter such scenario?

6. I notice that IA and NBI has almost the same structure and
mandate. As a layman, may I know their difference?

Halimbawa, both IA and NBI arrived at the crime scene at the

same time. Who will prevail? What is the jurisdiction of IA
compared to that of the NBI?

Thank you.

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