FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
SENATE 
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Senate Bill No. 303a 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. MANNY VILLAR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The passage of Republic Act No. 9263, otherwise known as the Bureau of 
Fire Protection (BFP) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) 
Professionalization Act of 2004 while indubitably benefited the said agencies, has 
however incidentally compounded the predicament of personnel from both bureaus 
who have deficiencies in either education and eligibility requirements or both. 
Paragraph C (4) Section 9 (Attrition System for the Uniformed Personnel of 
the BFP and BJMP) of RA 9263 states among others that attrition by other means 
shall be effected against personnel who “fails to complete the required career 
courses and/or appropriate civil service eligibility for hidher rank, except for 
justifiable reasons”. Further, Section 12 (d), Rule VI1 and Section 38 (d), Rule XVI of 
the Implementing Rules and Regulation of RA 9263’both provide that there shall be 
established a system of attrition for the uniformed personnel of the BFP and BJMP 
which states that “failure to comply with the required career course and/or 
appropriate civil service eligibility for his/her rank within a period of five (5) years, 
except forjustifiable reasons” shall be attrited from the service. 
Consistent with the aforementioned provision, a five (5) year period has been 
prescribed therefor for those who fall short of the education and eligibility 
requirements within which to complete and or comply with. Nonetheless, after 
arranging for customized second-level eligibility examinations (Penology Officer 
Examination for BJMP Personnel) that were administered through the benevolence 
of the Commission, as well as special classes and equivalency programs with 
colleges and universities in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education 
(CHED), a total of 1, 960 (as of December 2008) jail uniformed personnel still lack 
the appropriate eligibility andlor minimum level of education required by law. Hence, 
the promotion of such concerned personnel is withheld by reason of disallowed 
eligibilities. 
If the axe of implementation regarding this provision of RA 9263 will be fully 
carried out as scheduled, the BJMP will loss some of its best performing human 
resources, who, by reason of their experience in their line of work, and are 
considered the Bureau’s pioneer work-legs during its early formative years. It will be 
a pity because some of these uniformed personnel have been in the service for 
more than ten years already and yet for several times have been bypassed by their 
juniors. The dilemma has indeed created a massive and continuing demoralization 
in the ranks of those who have deficiencies in education and eligibility requirements, 
and sadder to note, they will be attrited or separated from the service in a couple of 
months if no legislative remedy shall be made available for them. 


The raison d'etre for saving these personnel from getting axed from the 
service this year goes beyond concern for their welfare. The upcoming "exodus" of 
jail personnel from the service, if not averted would mean aggravation of the ever 
unattainable ideal jail personnel-inmate ratio which is 1:1+1, that is one personnel 
per inmate, plus one personnel as back-up. At present, the ratio is 155, which is 
one jail officer is to fifty five inmates. 
In the National Capital Region for instance with a jail population of 20,419, 
only 548 personnel are performing custodial duty with the ration of 1:112 or one jail 
personnel per one hundred twelve inmates per shift. On the other hand, there are 
only 352 escort personnel per day who are in charge for the conveyance of inmates 
from jail facilities to courts for hearing or 1:4 (one escort to four inmates). 
While it is true that the 2,670 slots which will be vacated by the affected 
personnel may be filled in or replaced through mass hiring amidst the millions of 
qualified job-hunters and the scarcity of job placements in the country, however, the 
scenario would rather cause inconvenience rather than provide continued smooth- 
sailing operations for the BJMP. This would mean that the Bureau will be training 
another breed of jail officers in lieu of those who will be attrited, with whom the 
government has already spent and invested so much for their trainings and 
schooling which are aimed at transforming them into real assets of the BJMP. 
On the other hand, about one-half of the BFP's manpower will be affected 
wherein 4,349 fire personnel shall be retired and about 3,279 fire personnel will be 
terminated with zero gratuities. This foreboding one-time mass layoff would mean 
713 fire stations with no fire personnel for 16 hours everyday to respond to fire 
incidents and other emergencies like medicallrescue situations, civil disturbances, 
and natural calamities. There will also be a minimum of 381 existing fire stations 
with no fire personnel at all. 
It would certainly turn out that replacing these concerned personnel through 
mass hiring will not be an expedient option. To train the newly hired employees for 
both bureaus will cost the government about P700 million. The retirement and the 
commutation of their leave credits will cost more than P5 billion pesos. 
As such, this bill seeks to amend the pertinent provision of RA 9263 
concerning the completion of education and eligibility requirements for jail officers 
who will be affected with the full implementation of the BFP and BJMP 
Professionalization Law. It proposes a five-year extension of the period within which 
the education andlor eligibility requirement will be completed or complied would 
save the government more rather than attriting them from the service, save from the 
disbursement of their retirement benefit claims, separation pays and other matters 
relating thereto. 
Hence, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
MANNY ILLAR 
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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
SENATE 
9 
FEE -3 
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Senate Bill No. 9033 
INTRODUCED BY SEN. MANNY VILLAR 
AN ACT 
EXTENDING THE REQUIRED PERIOD FOR THE SATISFACTION 
OF THE MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION FOR APPOINTMENT 
TO THE BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION (BFP) 
AND THE BUREAU OF JAIL MANAGEMENT AND PENOLOGY (BJMP), 
AMENDING SECTION 4 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9263, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS 
“THE BFP AND BJMP PROFESSIONALIZATION ACT OF 2004”, 
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 9263 is hereby amended to read 
as follows: 
“Sec. 4. Professionalization and Upgrading of Qualification 
Standards in the Appointment of Uniformed Personnel to the BFP and 
fbe BJMP. - No person shall be appointed as uniformed personnel of 
the BFP and the BJMP unless helshe possesses the following 
minimum qualifications: 
a) A citizen of the Republic of the Philippines; 
b) A person of good moral character; 
c) Must have passed the psychiatric/psychological, drug and 
physical test for the purpose of determining hislher physical and 
mental health; 
d) Must possess a baccalaureate degree from recognized 
institution of learning; 
e) Must possess the appropriate civil service eligibility; 
9 Must not have been dishonorably discharged for cause from 
previous employment; 
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g) Must not have been convicted by final judgment of an offense 
h) Must be at least one meter and sixty-two centimeters (1.62 
m.) in height for male, and one meter and fifty-seven centimeters (1.57 
m.) for female: Provided, That a waiver for height and age 
requirements shall be automatically granted to applicants belonging to 
the cultural communities; and 
i) Must weigh not more or less than five kilograms (5 kgs.) from 
or crime involving moral turpitude; 
the standard weight corresponding to hidher height, age and sex; 
Provided, That a new applicant must not be less than twenty 
one (21) or more than thirty (30) years of age: except for this particular 
provision, the above-enumerated qualifications shall be continuing in 
character and an absence of any one of them at any given time shall 
be ground for separation or retirement from the service: Provided, 
further, That the uniformed personnel who are already in the service 
[upon] PRIOR TO the effectivity of [this Act] REPUBLIC ACT NO. 
9263 shall be given ANOTHER 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. 
xxx 
SEC. 2. lmplementing Rules and Regulations. - The Department of the 
Interior and Local Government (DILG), in coordination with the BFP, the BJMP, the 
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC), 
shall promulgate within sixty (60) days the necessary rules and regulations for the 
effective implementation of this Act. 
SEC. 3. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations, 
and other issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 4. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect 15 days after its 
complete publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved, 
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