Mindanao city launches campaign against obesity

TANGUB CITY, Misamis Occidental, Philippines—To boost its war on obesity, the local government of this city has launched a weight loss competition and offered rewards to individuals who lost the most weight in a month’s time.

The rewards program was inspired by the reality TV show “The Biggest Loser.”

City Nurse Edel Agnes said some 20 residents, mostly local government employees, registered for the contest, which began June 15.

Agnes said the contestants were admitted into the competition because they were overweight based on the standard body-mass index for Filipinos.

The weight of a contestant taken at the time of registration is the baseline measure. The second weight measurement will be on July 15, Agnes said.

The heaviest contestant weighed 110 kilograms, said Agnes. The contestants included  local journalists with bulging waistlines due to a mostly sedentary lifestyles.

Broadcaster Bethser Dablo of DxJT-AM, a Radyo ng Bayan affiliate, said she hoped to at least double her half-a-kilometer of walk a day.

The 5-foot Dablo weighed 68 kilograms on enrollment in the contest.

To cope up with fat-burning, she religiously attends the thrice-weekly free one-hour taebo sessions at the public plaza sponsored by the Philippine Army at 4 p.m. on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.

City social welfare officer Virgilita delos Santos, who manages the program, said they will reward the three biggest weight losers with cash prizes ranging from P1,000 to P2,000.

Delos Santos said weight-loss contestants enjoy free use of the relevant facilities at the city’s sports complex for workout and exercise.

She added that they were also being provided with a dedicated dietician.

Delos Santos said the local government will be exploring ways to make the rewards a permanent program.

Mayor Philip Tan revealed that he was personally moved to have the program formulated upon learning that a big number of residents are either at risk or already suffering from diabetes, high cholesterol count and hypertension.

These illnesses were often associated with weight gain.

Tan discovered the trend during a well-attended free blood sugar screening in partnership with the Ozamiz Diabetes Association last June 1.

“Whether I bag the contest prize or not, I am a sure winner,” Dablo said.