MANILA, Philippines — Overweight Metro Manila cops will have to start trimming their bulging muffin tops as the National Capital Regional Office (NCRPO) kickstarts its weight loss program.
NCRPO acting chief Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas said he will launch Tuesday next week the Body Mass Index (BMI) Reduction program, where all obese cops will be ordered to participate.
BMI is an indicator of high body fatness, and which can be used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sinas added that he will personally lead the NCRPO personnel in doing the weight loss program.
This weight loss initiative came from the directive of PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa to all police officers, from patrolman up to the high-ranking generals, to start losing weight, if not their paunches, if they don’t want to be denied schooling needed for their promotion for higher ranks, as well as for certain positions within the organization.
READ: Gamboa tells cops: Fix your weight or be denied schooling for promotion
Gamboa gave the directive to erase the perception that some policemen have weight issues and to make PNP personnel be responsible for their health.
“Sa buong NCR, lahat ng Obese II at III, doon po magrereport tapos mabigyan ng lecture kung papaano mag-exercise. They will report at least twice a month,” Sinas said in a press conference at Kamuning Police Station 10.
(In NCR, all of cops who are classified Obese II and III will report and they will be taught how to lose weight and how to exercise. They will report at least twice a month.)
Should overweight cops fail to lose substantial weight within two months, the NCRPO will hold a “summer camp” in their parade grounds where they could stay for one month and conduct intense weight loss activities.
“Doon imo-monitor ‘yung exercise at libre ang pagkain kasi ang pagkain doon puro lettuce at saka carrots at pipino kaya libre. The summer camp naman is controlled,” Sinas said.
(Exercise will be monitored there and the food will be free as it will be all lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers. The summer camp is controlled.)
Police officers who will participate in the summer camp will solely be focused on losing weight and they will not be reporting for work during their stay.
Police officials will have to relegate their duties to their second-in-command but this will be subject to the approval of the NCRPO chief.
“Kumbaga pwersahan na. So pag nag-classify ka sa obese II and III and you have 2 months na mag-reduce substantially. ‘Pag walang progress, forced ka doon sa summer camp. Sa umaga exercise, sa hapon exercise, sa gabi ballroom, libre ang pagkain dyan, sasagutin namin,” Sinas said.
(This will be done forcefully already. So if you are classified as Obese II and III and you have two months to reduce weight substantially. If there’s no progress, you are forced to go to the summer camp. In the morning, you will exercise, in the afternoon, you will exercise, and in the evening there will be a ballroom. Food is free, we will take care of it.)
“Kung ayaw nila pumunta at mag-reduce, get out of NCRPO,” he added.
(If they refuse to lose weight, they should get out of the NCRPO.)
Sinas added that they are monitoring about 700 overweight cops, or those classified as Obese II and III, in Metro Manila. They are also targeting 300 cops to substantially lose weight.