Overweight cops face relief

MANILA, Philippines — Overweight and obese police officers should be in shape as they face relief due to their bulging waistlines, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday.

The Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development (DHRDD) is planning to sanction overweight policemen for less grave neglect of duty.

“At the end of every quarter, all overweight police personnel with unsatisfactory compliance will be charged for less grave neglect of duty,” DHRDD Maj. Gen. Amador Corpus told reporters at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Corpus said police officers who refuse to undergo body mass index measurement would also face relief.

The sanctions range from withholding from privileges to suspension, according to PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac.

PNP chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa has ordered obese police officers to reduce weight to improve their health and image to the public.

The move is gaining ground as the number of overweight police officers went down by 6.27 percent from 81,050 in November last year  to 75,995  in February.

Gamboa required overweight police officers to lose at least two kilos a month.

He said police officers risk losing their chances of being promoted if they would not reduce weight.