Thousands of young Filipinos have benefitted from Republic Act (RA) 11549, which lowers the minimum height requirement for aspiring police officers and other uniformed personnel.
RA 11549 or the PNP, BFP, BJMP and BuCor Height Equality Act, principally authored by Iloilo Fifth District Representative Raul “Boboy” Tupas, was enacted into law in 2021.
Under the measure, the minimum height requirement for applicants to the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) is reduced from 5’4” to 5’2” for males and from 5’2’ to 5’ for females.
Tupas said he pushed the passage of the law because there are a lot of young Filipinos who are deserving to join the police force, but they do not meet the previous height requirement.
The Ilonggo lawmaker believes that height does not determine the competence of a person when it comes to maintaining peace and order, responding to fire incidents, and managing offenders.
Tupas is a Philippine Military Academy (PMA) graduate. Before entering politics, he worked for the Special Forces Regiment, an elite Philippine Army unit.
The congressman, who currently serves his third and last term, is running for vice governor of Iloilo in the May 2025 midterm elections.
