Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa is saying no to police recruits with tattoo as he believed that uniformed men with body markings “look like criminals or ex-convicts.”

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“Pasensya na sa mga may tattoo ha, alam ko you will invoke your right to express your artistic desires. Sa inyo art, sa amin taboo. Prangkahan tayo… dahil pangit, parang criminal naman tignan ‘di ba, parang sa kulungan puro may tattoo. Parang ex-convict ang pulis ‘pag naka-uniporme na maraming tattoo,” Dela Rosa said in a press briefing on Monday.

Despite this, he said he is open to scrap their height requirement among PNP recruits, which he admitted as “discriminatory.”

“Well height requirement sa PNPA (PNP Academy) matagal nang tinanggal ‘di ba… Kasi hindi naman talaga height ang basehan sa kagalingan at kabaitan ng tao ‘di ba. So we are open to that, okay sa amin, wala pong problema pero nasa batas po kasi namin ‘yan so kailangan another law na mag-modify, mag-amend sa batas na ‘yan,” he said.

“Discriminatory talaga ‘yung recruitment process namin. We discriminate from the qualified police and from the disqualified,” he added.

He said, however, tattoos that could not be seen may be allowed but it is advisable that individuals aspiring to become policemen remove their tattoos.

“’Yung tago siguro ok lang pero makikita parin ‘yan ‘pag hubad nila roon sa health service dahil hubad ‘yan sila,” he said. “Pero advise pa rin natin na tanggalin nila ‘yung tattoo nila,” Dela Rosa said.

The PNP Chief issued the remark after Davao City 1st District Rep. Karlo Nograles urged the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to lift some of their “archaic” requirements for recruits, including the “no tattoo” rule and their height requirement.

This January, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) said the height requirement for those taking the PNP entrance examination was removed, but the height requirement for recruitment purposes stays.

Republic Act 6975, the law that established the PNP, mandates a 5’4″ minimum height requirement for male and 5’2″ for female recruits. /kga

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