The Philippine National Police on Wednesday called on lawmakers to push for the passage of pending bills that will allow at least 8,000 officers to stay in the service even without the required college degree.

"The PNP leadership supports the passage of House Bill 3618 now in second reading at the House of Representatives, and Senate Bills 2429 and 2577 now being heard in the committee level at the upper house," said Director Edgardo Acuña, PNP Director for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM).

He said the pending bills seek to make amendments to Republic Act 8551 or the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998, particularly on the minimum educational requirement, that will allow policemen without college degrees to stay in active service until their retirement.

"We believe that due consideration must given to these personnel in recognition of their professional experience and service expertise that they have gained and developed over their long years in the police service," Acuña added.

At present, there are some 8,000 Police Non-Commissioned Officers (PNCO) in the active service who do not possess the minimum educational requirement of a baccalaureate degree as required under Republic Act 8551.

An en banc resolution passed by the National Police Commission gave the affected PNP members until 2009 to complete the mandatory educational requirement.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has allowed PNP members without college degree to avail of the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) which is an alternate system of college education. Some 1,200 PNP members have earned a college degree in criminology thru the ETEEAP that is ongoing in Police Regional Offices in Luzon.

Acuña said that the affected personnel are former members of the Philippine Constabulary and Integrated National Police who were absorbed into the PNP 17 years ago in 1991.

"These personnel have the option of filing for early retirement, but the exigency of the service prompts us to discourage them from doing that. Besides, the PNP will be spending some P7-billion to pay for the retirement and separation benefits of these 8,000 personnel," Acuña said.

He explained that the PNP will be facing an acute shortage of personnel if 8,000 active-duty personnel will be abruptly separated from the service.

It takes the PNP at least 12 months to process and train a police recruit from the time a candidate is appointed into the service until he is assigned to perform active duty.