Capt. Edwin Duco, Zamboanga City Police Office information officer. (PNA file photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Overweight policemen of the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) have been ordered to trim down lest they will not be allowed to undergo schooling for promotion.
The order is in line with the directive of Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa, Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge, to strictly implement the Body Mass Index (BMI), in which all policemen are required to maintain an ideal weight, Capt. Edwin Duco, ZCPO information officer, said on Wednesday.
The BMI refers to a person’s weight-to-height ratio. It is calculated by dividing one’s weight in kilograms by the square of one’s height in meters and used as an indicator of obesity and underweight.
Gamboa has said that overweight policemen would not be allowed to undergo career advancement or training for promotion to ensure strict compliance.
Duco said at least 50 overweight policemen are assigned to the ZCPO’s 11 police stations.
All policemen are also obliged to maintain good health aside from performing their official tasks, he said.
“Every Tuesday and Thursday, we are required to participate in athletic activities for us to sweat and be healthy,” he said, pointing out that a bulging stomach is a sign of being unhealthy and those who have it have difficulty chasing crime suspects.
“If they want to be promoted, then they should adhere to the memorandum (of Gamboa),” Duco said.
It can be recalled that all policemen were required to maintain a 34-inch waistline when Senator Panfilo Lacson was PNP chief. (PNA)
