Senate junks height requirement for aspiring policemen, firemen

SENATORS moved to repeal the height requirement for applicants to the police force, fire protection and the jail management and penology bureaus in a bid to erase discrimination in government employment.

Senate Bill 3217, introduced by Senator Gregorio Honasan early this year, was approved on third and final reading on Tuesday with 19 votes and zero abstention.

Honasan, a former military colonel, said the proposed legislation seeks to amend the height requirement imposed on the Section 30 (h) of Republic Act (RA) 6975 or the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Act of 1990, as amended by RA 1998.

Under RA 1998 or the Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998, the height must be at least 1.62 meters and 1.57 meters for male and female, respectively.

"Height discrimination unnecessarily limits quality choice while promoting social injustice. Height may be a consideration in tasks requiring certain physical activities but not all who are short are physically, much less intellectually, impaired," Honasan said.

He said Asians have proven their worth in war as well in peace though they are shorter in height than their Western counterparts.

"While it is right for hiring institutions to employ people for their intellect, for their drive and for what they can bring to the organization, it is wrong to deny them for reasons of creed, color, culture, gender identity or height," Honasan said.

The measure should have a counterpart bill in the House of Representatives to strengthen its chances to be signed into law. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)