Philippines Says 'No' to Short Cops

Short people hoping to join the long arm of the law in the Philippines will be left disappointed after President Benigno Aquino vetoed a bill removing height requirements for police on Monday.

Parliament had passed a bill repealing minimum height requirements for the police, fire service and jail guards, but the president felt that some jobs required people of a certain stature, his spokeswoman Abigail Valte said.

"If you need to rescue someone from a burning house... or secure detainees, then you would need certain physical attributes. That is the nature of these jobs and it is not discrimination," she told reporters.

Aquino's the minimum height of five feet, four inches (1.63 meters) for men and five feet, two inches (1.57 meters) for women applying for these jobs, would still apply, Valte said.

She said the police and other agencies already granted height requirement waivers for certain applicants so short people still could get in if they have special qualifications.