ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The 699 overweight policemen have returned to their respective units two weeks after they were ordered to report at the Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) headquarters for further Body Mass Index (BMI) evaluation.
Brig. Gen. Froilan Quidilla, PRO-9 director, said Saturday this was done after the police officers managed to initially lose at least two kilograms of their weight through the health program by the regional headquarters.
Quidilla said prior to the program, the overweight police officers were evaluated according to their medical condition by the Regional Health Service-9 for the appropriate intervention.
Quidilla said although they were allowed to return to their respective unit, the cops will still be monitored by their unit commanders on a weekly basis and reports will be submitted to the PRO-9 headquarters.
He said the weight loss program will be more effective when supported by family and friends "and more importantly when it is accepted by each member of the Philippine National Police (PNP)."
Police officers, he added, should "value the benefits" of the weight loss program "for themselves and the community they serve.”
Earlier, the PRO-9 director said policemen under the category of obese class 1 are given 36 weeks to reduce weight while those categorized as obese class 2 and class 3 will have 48 and 60 weeks, respectively, to normalize their weights.
Following the expanded BMI acceptable standards, a policeman who is five feet and five inches tall should weigh not exceeding 170 pounds, otherwise, they will be categorized as obese.
“The BMI (initiative) is an internal cleansing program of the Chief PNP (Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa) and for strict compliance,” he said. (PNA)
