Lt. Col. Lino Capellan, Police Regional Office (PRO)-12 spokesperson. (File photo courtesy of PRO-12)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- About half of the nearly 6,000 police personnel in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) have been advised to slim down within the next few months after being found overweight and obese, an official said on Monday.
Lt. Col. Lino Capellan, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-12, said the nearly 3,000 overweight and obese personnel who failed to maintain the ideal body mass index (BMI) have been directed to immediately undergo weight loss measures.
Capellan said the move was based on orders from PRO-12 director Brig. Gen. Alfred Corpus and the Philippine National Police national headquarters.
The affected personnel are assigned in the regional police units as well as provincial, city and municipal police stations and offices, he added.
The PRO-12 has a total of 5,948 police commissioned and non-commissioned officers and non-uniformed personnel.
Capellan warned those who fail to shed weight within prescribed periods will be recommended to undergo “schooling” or training.
He pointed out that participation in regular training is among the requirements for promotion within the PNP.
“Some of them actually need to shed at least two kilos a month so they can reach their ideal BMI,” he said in an interview.
BMI is a measure of a person’s body composition based on height and weight. It is computed by dividing an individual’s weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters.
Capellan said those with BMIs of 25 to 29.9 are still within the normal levels while those with 30 and above are considered obese.
Based on records from the Regional Health Service-12, he said a number of policemen in the region have suffered from various diseases due to obesity.
“Our job as policemen requires us to be always physically fit,” Capellan said.
PNP chief Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa earlier warned that all police officials and personnel who fail to maintain the ideal BMIs will also be denied assignments to certain positions.
Gamboa said the move is part of the PNP’s internal cleansing program, as well as to improve the image of policemen and encourage them to practice individual responsibility for their health. (PNA)
