Solon: Limiting female PNP recruits due to pregnancy ‘unfair’

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel (inset) said that it was ‘unfair’ for the PNP to strictly follow the 10 percent limit to recruiting females because of the prospect that they would become pregnant and go on maternity leave. INQUIRER FILE

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde’s argument that they would stick to the mandated 10 percent recruitment quota for policewomen due to “restrictions” brought by the extended maternity leave for female workers was “unfair,” Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel decried on Tuesday.

Pimentel said it was “not fair to discourage” the recruitment of more young women as police officers simply on account of the prospect of motherhood and pregnancy.

“We should not penalize young women and deprive them of the opportunity to serve just because we are concerned that some of them may have to go on a 105-day maternity leave,” Pimentel said.

Albayalde earlier said the PNP would limit its annual recruitment, training, and education quota for female officers to 10 percent as mandated by Section 58 of the Republic Act 8551 or the Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998.

READ: PNP to stick to 10 percent recruitment quota for policewomen

The top cop also cited the looming enactment into law of the 105-day maternity leave.

“Just imagine hindi mo magamit ‘yung pulis for that span of time, pero we follow the 10-percent rule. As of this time it’s more than 10 percent. Umaabot pa nga yata ng 12 kung hindi ako nagkakamali,” Albayalde said.

(Just imagine when you cannot utilize that police officer for that span of time, but we follow the 10-percent rule. As of this time, it’s more than 10 percent. It even reaches 12 if I am not mistaken.)

READ: Bicam OKs 105-day maternity leave

Pimentel pointed out that the 105-day maternity leave makes no difference in the context of 20 or 30 years of reliable and productive service.

“We all want the PNP to succeed in its mission to enforce the law, prevent and control crimes, maintain peace and order, and ensure public safety and internal security with the active support of the community,” he added.

The lawmaker earlier called for the doubling of the number of female officers in the PNP to 20 percent of all new recruits.

At present, a 20-year-old law requires the PNP to allot to women at least 10 percent of its annual slots for new recruits.

Congress first mandated the minimum 10 percent requirement as well as the establishment of Women and Children Protection Desks in every police station in 1998, primarily to improve the “gender sensitivity” of the force.

Pimentel noted that at that time, “there were too few women in the PNP that male officers ended up administering to women and children who were victims of rape and other forms of sexual abuse.”

The congressman also wants female officers to “exclusively attend to women and children at risk or who come into conflict with the law.” /cbb