DAVAO CITY, Philippines — More than 55 percent of police officers of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) are overweight and have been ordered to trim down their weight, which will be subjected to monthly evaluation.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has recently campaigned for the strict implementation of orders measuring police officers’ Body Mass Index (BMI) so that they can maintain the ideal weight for performing their duties.
Captain Rose Aguilar, DCPO spokesperson, said that based on the recent evaluation of the 1,981-strong city police force, only 847 personnel or 43 percent have normal BMI, who are still encouraged to continue practicing a healthy lifestyle while in service.
A small portion of the remaining one percent consists of pregnant policewomen, while 0.15 percent was recorded underweight.
Because of these findings, the DCPO has started an internal campaign to encourage personnel to lose weight through a “Sabayang Takbo,” a collective running initiative, every Tuesday and Thursday.
“All DCPO officers, especially those who function as administrative personnel, should undergo Sabayang Takbo,” said Aguilar.
She stressed that based on the directive of Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa, Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge, overweight personnel should lose at least two kilos per month.
Gamboa in his directive ordered that overweight police personnel be disallowed from getting promotions in service, affecting their career development. The order aims to ensure strict compliance so that personnel can maintain good health and perform various office tasks. (davaotoday.com)
