Aquino maintains minimum height requirements for police

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - President Benigno Aquino III did not approve the bill that would remove the height requirements for the police, fire and jail personnel, a senior government official said today.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a news briefing that the president found it unnecessary to remove the height requirement among the three service bureaus since under the existing laws a waiver for applicants is allowed under certain conditions.

Under the current law, the minimum requirement for a male applicant is five feet and four inches, while that for a female applicant, five feet and two inches.

Aquino cited that jail officers in particular, by the nature of their work in guarding detainees or escorting criminals, must possess the necessary physical attributes to perform their functions effectively.

"Likewise, public safety is paramount in law enforcement by the National Police of the Philippines, as well as in fire-fighting," he added.