[ REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11549, May 26, 2021 ]

AN ACT LOWERING THE MINIMUM HEIGHT REQUIREMENT FOR APPLICANTS OF THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE (PNP), BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION (BFP), BUREAU OF JAIL MANAGEMENT AND PENOLOGY (BJMP), AND BUREAU OF CORRECTIONS (BUCOR), AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6975, AS AMENDED, REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9263, AND REPUBLIC ACT NO. 10575

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "PNP, BFP, BJMP and BuCor Height Equity Act".

SEC. 2. Section 30 of Republic Act No. 6975, as amended, 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:

"(a) x x x

"(b) x x x

"(c) x x x

"(d) x x x

"(e) x x x

"(f) x x x

"(g) x x x

"(h) Must be at least one meter and fifty-seven centimeters (1.57 m.) in height for males and one meter and fifty-two centimeters (1.52 m.) for females: Provided, That a waiver for height requirement shall be automatically granted to applicants belonging to the cultural communities/indigenous peoples:

"(i) x x x

"(j) x x x

"x x x

"x x x."

SEC. 3. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 9263 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:

"(a) x x x

"(b) x x x

"(c) x x x

"(d) x x x

"(e) x x x

"(f) x x x

"(g) x x x

"(h) Must be at least one meter and fifty-seven centimeters (1.57 m.) in height for males and one meter and fifty-two centimeters (1.52 m.) for females: Provided, That a waiver for height and age requirements shall be automatically granted to applicants belonging to the cultural communities/indigenous peoples; and

"(i) x x x

"x x x

"x x x."

SEC. 4. Section 11 of Republic Act No. 10575 is amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 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:

"(1) x x x

"(2) x x x

"(3) x x x

"(4) x x x

"(5) x x x

"(6) x x x

"(7) x x x

"(8) Must be at least one meter and fifty-seven centimeters (1.57 m.) in height for males, and one meter and fifty-two centimeters (1.52 m.) for females: Provided, That a waiver for height and age requirements may be granted to applicants belonging to the cultural communities/indigenous peoples: Provided, further, That a new applicant must not be less than twenty-one (21) or more than forty (40) years of age. Except for this particular provision, the above-enumerated qualifications shall be continuing in character and an absence of one of them at any given time shall be ground for separation or retirement from the service: Provided, furthermore, 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 obtain the minimum educational qualification and eligibility with subsidiary assistance as provided for in this Act.

"(b) x x x

"(c) x x x

"(d) x x x."

SEC. 5. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Justice shall, in coordination with the Civil Service Commission, National Police Commission, the PNP, the BFP, the BJMP, and BuCor, promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to implement this Act.

SEC. 6. Separability Clause. - If any part, section or provision of this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the sections or provisions which are not affected shall remain valid and subsisting.

SEC. 7. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, ordinances, rules, regulations, other issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act ae hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 8. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.  

Approved,

This Act which is a consolidation of House Bill No. 8261 and Senate Bill No. 1563 was passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines on March 15, 2021.

Approved: MAY 26 2021

(SGD.) RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE
    President of the Philippines   

Source: Supreme Court E-Library