WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 15 of Republic Act No. 8551, the age, height, weight and educational requirements for initial appointment to the PNP may be waived only when the number of qualified applicants fall below the minimum annual quota;

WHEREAS, Section 16 of the same law prescribes the selection criteria under the waiver program and mandates the Commission to promulgate rules and regulations to address other situations arising from the waiver of the entry requirements;

WHEREAS, in compliance with the requirement of the law, the Commission issued Memorandum Circular No. 99-005 which provides for the guidelines and procedure governing the grant of waiver on the minimum qualification for initial appointment to the uniformed component of the PNP;

WHEREAS, relative thereto, the Commission adopted Memorandum Circular No. 2007-009 prescribing the procedures and guidelines for the recruitment, selection and appointment of PNP uniformed personnel, including appointments under the waiver program;

WHEREAS, it has been observed in previous recruitments that the recruitment quotas for the different offices/units are not always filled up due to lack of qualified applicants;

WHEREAS, under existing policy, applicants who do not meet the required age height or weight can apply for waiver only when the number of qualified applicants falls below the office/unit quota that is determined at the end of the recruitment process:

WHEREAS, in order to have a wider base of applicants possessing exemplary aptitude to be capable police officers, with special qualifications or skills which are useful to or needed by the PNP but do not meet the required age, height or weight, should be given an opportunity to apply for waiver prior to the official start of or during the recruitment program;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Commission in the exercise of its mandate to administer and control the PNP, HAS RESOLVED, AS IT HEREBY RESOLVES, to prescribe the guidelines on the grant of waiver on the minimum qualifications for the initial appointment to the uniformed component of the Philippine National Police, to wit:

A. Conditions on Waivers for Initial Appointment to the PNP

1. The age, height and weight for initial appointment to the PNP may be waived only when the number of qualified applicants falls below the approved national/regional quota.
2. Waiver of the age requirement may be granted provided that the applicant shall not be less than twenty (20) nor more than thirty-five (35) years of age. For purposes of this paragraph, one is considered to be not over thirty-five (35) years old if he or she has not yet reached his or her thirty-sixth (36th) birthday on the date of the issuance of his or her appointment.
3. Waiver of the height requirement may be granted to a male applicant who is at least 1 meter and 57 cm (1.57m) and to a female applicant who is at least 1 meter and 52 cm (1.52m): Provided, that the minimum height requirement for applicants who belong to indigenous group duly certified by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), or the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) shall be 1.52m for male and 1.45m for female. Provided further, that the Commission shall require said applicants to submit appropriate proof of their membership in a certain indigenous group.
4. An applicant who is granted a weight waiver shall be given reasonable time but not exceeding six (6) months within which to comply with said requirement.
5. The grant of waiver is not a guarantee for appointment into the police service.
6. The PNP Screening Committee shall, through the Chief of the PNP, request the Commission to consider the appointment of those applicants with a certification under oath that the qualified applicants, at the time the applicant is being considered, fall below the office/unit quota concerned.

B. Creation of a Waiver Committee

The NAPOLCOM, Commission En Banc, may, if it so decides, convene the Waiver Committee, consisting of three (3) members, one of whom shall be the Service Chief of the Personnel and Administrative Service (PAS), who shall act as the Chairman. The Waiver Committee shall assist the Commission En Banc in the screening and processing of applicants for waiver. The members of the Waiver Committee shall be appointed by the Commission En Banc from the nominees submitted to the Vice Chairman and Executive Officer (VCEO) and shall remain as members of the said Committee until replaced by the Commission, upon recommendation by the VCEO.

In the exercise of its functions, the Waiver Committee may engage/solicit the services of experts in various fields of expertise or discipline relevant to the waiver being sought.

C. Factors to be Considered in the Grant of Waivers to Applicants

1. Possession of special skills in evidence gathering and safekeeping, cyber crime investigation, detection and prevention, crime scene investigation, martial arts, marksmanship and similar special skills;
2. Special talents in the field of sports, music or arts and culture;
3. Extensive experience or training in forensic science and other legal, medical and technical services; and
4. Outstanding academic records and extracurricular activities of applicant during his/her school days, good family background in law enforcement or socio-civic activities, recognized social standing in the community, awards and commendations received, which should indicate to the Commission En Banc that the applicant can become a good member of the Philippine National Police.
5. Applicants who possess the least disqualifications shall take precedence over those who possess more disqualifications.
6. The requirement shall be waived in the following order:
   1. Age
   2. Height
   3. Weight

D. Processing of Waiver Application/ Effectivity

1. The folder of the applicant who passed the evaluation of the PNP Screening Committee shall be endorsed and submitted to the Commission En Banc through the Office of the Vice-Chairman and Executive Officer, containing all supporting documents together with the Chief, PNP’s endorsement.
2. After receipt of the folder, the Vice-Chairman and Executive Officer shall present it directly to the Commission En Banc for proper disposition, in accordance with, or pursuant to the requirements of the law and the rules.
3. The Commission En Banc, by way of an En Banc Resolution, may directly grant age, height and weight waiver upon its own collective determination, which shall be done pursuant to law and the rules, that the applicant has the aptitude to be a capable police officer, based on any, some or all of the factors enumerated in paragraph “C” herein including, but not limited to, the following: special skills, manifest talent, extensive experience or outstanding academic records, extracurricular activities, family background, social standing in the community, awards and commendations received and other similar criteria.
4. The NAPOLCOM Regional Director may grant height waiver to a member of an indigenous group. A copy of the Certificate granting height waiver, together with copies of the supporting documents, shall be submitted to the Commission En Banc by the Regional Director for recording and monitoring purposes, within fifteen (15) days from the issuance of the said certificate.
5. If the application is referred to the NAPOLCOM Waiver Committee for evaluation, it shall submit its recommendation to the Commission En Banc, not later than fifteen (15) days from the date of the referral. The recommendation of the Waiver Committee shall indicate and include all the supporting documents, records and papers submitted by the applicant, including the grounds for the approval or denial of the application for waiver.
6. The Commission En Banc may approve or deny, in part or in full, the recommendation of the NAPOLCOM Waiver Committee. The grant or denial of the application for waiver by the Commission En Banc, based on the recommendation of the Waiver Committee, shall likewise be through an En Banc Resolution.
7. The Commission En Banc Resolution shall indicate the fact that the grant of waiver is not a guarantee for appointment into the police service and that the applicant with waiver will only be considered when the number of qualified applicants fall below the minimum office/unit quota.

E. Effectivity of the NAPOLCOM Resolution Granting Waiver

1. An applicant with a waiver may use the same for the succeeding recruitment periods, if he/she fails to be appointed to the police service for the current recruitment period, subject to the proviso in paragraph D, subparagraph (7) of this Memorandum Circular.
2. The Resolution granting waiver, either for age, height or weight, shall remain effective for as long as the applicant abides by the conditions ser forth in paragraph A, subparagraphs (2), (3), (4) of this Memorandum Circular.
3. The Commission and/or the NAPOLCOM Regional Offices shall maintain a file of applicants who have been granted a waiver but failed to be appointed in the previous recruitment periods. Whenever the number of applicants falls short of the minimum annual quota, the Commission or the NAPOLCOM Regional Offices shall examine, review or assess the files of the applicants with existing waivers for possible inclusion in the current recruitment period, pursuant to paragraph D, subparagraphs (1), (2) and (3) of this Memorandum Circular.

All Memorandum Circulars or issuances, or any part thereof, which are inconsistent with this Memorandum Circular are repealed or amended accordingly.

Any NAPOLCOM or PNP official or employee who shall fail to strictly observe or comply with the above rules and procedures and other pertinent policies and regulations shall be dealt with under existing rules and regulations.

This Memorandum Circular shall take effect fifteen (15) days from date of publication in a newspaper of general circulation and a copy of the same filed with the UP Law Center in consonance with the Administrative Code of 1987.

(SGD.) MAR ROXAS Secretary, DILG and Chairman, NAPOLCOM	(SGD.) EDUARDO U. ESCUETA Commissioner Vice-Chairman and Executive Officer
(SGD.) LUISITO T. PALMERA Commissioner	(SGD.) ALEJANDRO S. URRO Commissioner
(SGD.) CONSTANCIA P. DE GUZMAN, Ph.D. Commissioner	(SGD.) ALAN LA MADRID PURISIMA Commissioner
Attested by: (SGD.) ADELMALYN A. MUNIEZA Chief, Secretariat