Obese Metro Manila cops ordered to lose weight, NCRPO chief Sinas to lead effort

MANILA, Philippines – The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is launching a program to get its obese cops in shape, and leading the effort is its chief, Police Major General Debold Sinas, who admitted he is obese, too.

“Actually, ako ‘yung tinarget nilang gawing model eh (Actually, I was the one they targeted to be the model),” Sinas jested when he discussed with reporters on Tuesday, January 28, the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) overall directive for its members to get fit.

Beginning Tuesday, February 4, all Metro Manila cops who fall under obese classes 2 and 3 based on their body mass index (BMI) will be required to attend a lecture on how to lose weight and start an exercise regimen, Sinas said.

A person’s BMI is their weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters. It can be an indicator of high body fatness, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Class 1 “low-risk” obese are people whose BMI is 30.0 to 34.9. Class 2 “moderate-risk” obese are people whose BMI is 35.0 to 39.9. Class 3 “high-risk” obese are people whose BMI are 40.0 or higher.

Cops who will be required to participate in the weight loss program are to report at least twice a month for two months to monitor and register their progress. Those who fail to significantly reduce their BMI by the end of March will be subjected to a “summer camp” to be set up in the NCRPO headquarters’ parade grounds.

There, the cops’ diet will be controlled, and they will be required to exercise throughout the day.

Sponsoring the cops’ diet would be inexpensive anyway, Sinas said, because it will all be vegetables.

“Lettuce pa more (More and more lettuce),” he quipped, eliciting laughter from the reporters.

Sinas said he himself had already started a fitness program, which the PNP Health Service is monitoring.

The goal for the members of the service is not so much to achieve a certain weight but to cut a leaner figure. “At least bring it down to obese class 1,” Sinas added.

The NCRPO is looking at some 700 of its cops who are either obese class 2 or 3.

The PNP has long been criticized for having overweight cops among its ranks. Earlier in January, PNP chief Police General Archie Gamboa said cops who do not meet the proper weight requirement will be barred from promotions.

Sinas said the NCRPO is determined to comply with the order, and those who fail to shape up will simply have to leave. – Rappler.com