FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
I 
SENATE 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. MANNY VILLAR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Philippine National Police. (PNP) Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998 
or Republic Act No. 8551 has upgraded the general qualifications for the 
appointment into the police service amending for that purpose the Department of the 
Interior and Local Government Act of 1990 or Republic Act No. 6975. 
Specifically, Section 30 of R.A. No. 6975 was amended by Section 14 of R.A. 
No. 8551, which provided that minimum educational qualification for appointment 
into the PNP shall be "a formal baccalaureate degree from a recognized institution 
of learning". 
The same Section 14 of R.A. No. 8551 also provided that PNP members who 
were already in the service upon the effectivity of the said Act shall be given at least 
two (2) more years to obtain the minimum educational qualification. 
However, the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of R.A. no. 8551 
has extended the reglementary period for the satisfaction of the minimum 
educational qualification to five (5) years from the effectivity date of the same IRR in 
January 1999. 
Nonetheless, there was no amendatory law that provided for the basis of the 
said IRR. This bill hereby proposes to extend the reglementary period for the 
satisfaction of the minimum education qualification for appointment to the PNP to 
five (5) years but it will be reckoned from the date of the effectivity of this Act, 
notwithstanding the provisions indicated in R.A. 8551 or its subsequent IRR. 
As such, the projected attrition, separation or retirement of thousands of 
affected policemen will not yet be implemented in favor of the effective operational 
capability of the PNP which will surely be drastically reduced due to the decrease in 
the numbers of active policemen. 
Considerably, the greater component of those affected policemen is actually 
composed of a number of the most competent and well-experienced PNP uniformed 
personnel who acquired the skills of the job and learned the rigors of the profession 
through their long field experience. 
Moreover, the reduction of our police complement will also result in a 
decreased level of organizational effectiveness of the police force as well as in 
maintaining the police to population ratio. Admittedly, the forced separation or 
retirement of these concerned policemen will result in the sudden depletion in the 
number of PNP personnel which cannot be easily replaced considering the limited 
annual recruitment quota. 
Hence, the immediate enactment of this bill is hereby sought. 
MA 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
Senate Bill No. 2577 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. MANNY VILLAR 
AN ACT 
EXTENDING THE REQUIRED PERIOD FOR THE SATISFACTION 
OF THE MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION FOR 
APPOINTMENT TO THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE TO FIVE (5 YEARS), 
AMENDING SECTION 30 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6975, 
AS AMENDED BY SECTION 14 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 
8551 
Be it enacted by fhe Senate and fhe House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 30 of Republic Act No. 6975, as amended by Section 14 
of Republic Act No. 8551, is hereby further amended to read as follows: 
"Sec. 30. General Qualifications for Appoinfmenf. - No person shall be 
appointed as officer or member of the PNP unless he or she possesses the 
following minimum qualifications: 
xxx 
xxx 
xxx 
(d) Must possess a formal baccalaureate degree from a recognized 
institution of learning; 
xxx 
xxx 
xxx 
(j) For a new applicant, must not be less than twenty-one (21) nor 
more than thirty (30) years of age: except for the last qualification, the above- 
enumerated qualifications shall be continuing in character and an absence of 
any one of them at any given time shall be a ground for separation or 
retirement from the service: Provided, That PNP members who are already in 
the service upon the effectivity of this Act shall be given [at least two (2) 
more] FIVE (5) years to obtain the minimum educational qualification, TO BE 
RECKONED FROM THE DATE OF THE EFFECTIVITY OF THIS 
AMENDATORY ACT, and one (1) year to satisfy the weight requirement. 
For the purpose of determining compliance with the requirements on 
physical and mental health, as well as the non-use of prohibited drugs, the 


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PNP by itself or through a NAPOLCOM accredited government hospital shall 
conduct regular psychiatric, psychological drug and physical tests randomly 
and without notice. 
After the lapse of the time period for the satisfaction of a specific 
requirement, current members of the PNP who will fail to satisfy any of the 
requirements enumerated under this Section shall be separated from the 
service if they are below fifty (50) years of age and have served in 
Government for less than twenty (20) years or retired if they are from the age 
of fifty (50) and above and have served the Government for at least twenty 
(20) years without prejudice in either case to the payment of benefits they 
may be entitled to under existing laws." 
Sec. 2. All laws, presidential decrees, presidential proclamations, letters of 
instructions, executive orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent 
with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
Sec. 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete 
publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) national newspapers of general 
circulation. 
Approved,