LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- Police Regional Office (PRO)-Cordillera personnel were urged to lose weight during the regional-wide launching of the “Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Mission: Slim Possible Fit Filipino 500,000 Pounds (lbs) Weight Loss Program” held at Camp Bado, Dangwa.
PRO-Cordillera is expected to lose 45,310 lbs. out of the 500,000 lbs. target according to Police Superintendent Pelita Tacio, for the approximately 5,000 personnel in the region.
To achieve the 45,310 lbs. target, each personnel should lose about 10 lbs., Tacio added.
Last year, only 27 percent of the personnel who took the Annual Physical Examination (APE) from the PNP have a normal body mass index (BMI). The remaining 73 percent are categorized further into 28 percent overweight and 45 percent obese, said Dr. Niña Cheryl Reyes Jouni.
She added obesity was found as a major contributing factor to eight out of 10 diseases found in the APE. These diseases include hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes, hyperuricemia, fatty liver, impaired fasting glucose, and arthritis.
The Mission: Slim Possible, according to Jouni aims to lessen the PNP personnel’s weight in six months, in order for them serve better by being mentally and physically fit.
Jouni said the exercise needed is dependent on one’s BMI. In order to be advised, PRO-Cordillera personnel must go to their respective health service office while reminding every personnel exercising should be made a habit and that everything must be in moderation.
“The impact of this program is vital that it would also affect tenure,” Jouni said adding those personnel classified as P3, especially P4 might be advised to go on Total Permanent Physical Disability (TPPD) and be removed from service.
She emphasized that to stay in the police service, one must be physically fit and adds one needs to be at least P2 to continue in service.
According to the PNP memorandum circular titled PNP Integrated Health and Physical Fitness Program, those classified as P2 are the ones who can work rigorously but have minor defects and limitations.
P3 refers to those who can only exert full effort for brief periods, while P4 are those who perform less than P3.
Police Chief Inspector Anselmo Cacap said PNP personnel must be physically and mentally disciplined while adding many of the personnel gain weight because of eating habits and the lack of training and exercise.
According to the Philippine News Agency, the weight loss program launched by the PNP is a part of the Fit Filipino Movement challenge spearheaded by the Philippine Heart Association, which aims to fight obesity by urging the Filipinos to lose one million lbs. (Arianne Jo Julaton/UP Baguio intern)