During Marbil's command visit to the PNP National Capital Region Police Office Headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, he expressed his desire to avoid any feelings of discrimination among police officers with tattoos.
Marbil is currently seeking guidance from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) on whether an earlier released memorandum circular (MC 2024-023) prohibiting tattoos among police officers can be implemented, especially considering health concerns if currently tattooed officers are required to remove them.
Marbil clarified that his only intention is to ensure that police officers are decent and respectable.
"We are just asking the CSC for their guidance. But as for us, we maintain, as I have said, that we are police officers and we cannot dye our hair or sport long hair, as we are governed by our civil service. We just want to implement what is proper. Initially, we prohibited sporting tattoos but some already have them," Marbil stated.
"How can we maintain our dignity and be respected as police officers if we have many tattoos on our bodies?" Marbil questioned further.
In the previously released MC, all police officers with tattoos were required to write an affidavit declaring their tattoos, and any tattoos visible outside of their uniforms must be removed.
Cosmetic tattoos such as eyebrows, eyeliner, and lip tattoos are not included in the removal requirement.
Unauthorised tattoos, according to the PNP, include those that are anti-government or supportive of terrorism, discriminatory towards indigenous peoples, races, or religions, obscene, and any that have
(Photo from PNP-NCRPO)
