PNP, DND chiefs oppose lifting of tattoo ban

The heads of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Department of National Defense (DND) yesterday aired their opposition to a proposal to lift the tattoo ban on soldiers and police officers.

Davao Rep. Karlo Nograles called on the government over the weekend to remove the ban on tattoos.

“How would you differentiate criminals from police officers?” Dela Rosa said during a press briefing at Camp Crame yesterday.

He said if the PNP’s traditional standards are removed – such as shaving moustaches and keeping the hair short – it “will reflect on the organization.”

Dela Rosa apologized to people offended by his stance.

“I know you would invoke your right to express your artistic desires. For you it’s art, for us it’s taboo,” he said.

Dela Rosa said even if an applicant’s tattoo is hidden under clothes, the PNP’s Health Service will still detect it during an intensive medical examination.

DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana also opposed Nograles’ proposal to lift the “no tattoo” policy, which the congressman called an “archaic” requirement for those who want to join the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“We would like to keep it that way. Just like haircut. The military imposes strict rules on haircut and even mustache, why not tattoo?” he said.

“Tattoos are ugly and connotes a gangster image,” Lorenzana, a retired military man himself, said of the idea of permitting soldiers to have body art.

Lorenzana said the military is indeed an old-fashioned organization in some ways.

“We have standards of behaviors that harken back to medieval times and they are still relevant today: following orders, wearing approved uniform and badges, fitting into an organization, having a regulation haircut, regulated daily activities, be physically fit,” he said.