A petition filed by several Philippine police officials to scrap existing body fat requirements for those seeking a promotion has prospered. Official documents showed Wednesday that the petition was approved by the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Under the rule, which was implemented at the start of the Covid pandemic last year by former PNP chief Debold Sinas, all police officers seeking promotions are required to fall within a specific body mass index range. During his tenure, Sinas said that all officers should strive to have a healthy body through diet and exercise. He also publicly called on overweight members of the PNP to get in shape.
Apart from the new rule, Sinas required all 220,000 members of the police force to work out daily. Officers were also required to submit to monthly body mass index readings. According to a 2019 study, around 35% of the PNP members were overweight, while around 10% were considered obese.
PNP personnel head, Major General Rolando Hinanay, said several officers had been denied promotions after failing to meet body mass index targets. He said the petition was made to scrap the requirement after several officers complained that Covid-19 restrictions made it hard for them to work out and lose weight.
"As a result, many personnel were disqualified for promotion," Hinanay said.
Police chief General Guillermo Eleazar confirmed that he approved the request Wednesday.
Officers opposed to the requirement said the police were "detrimental" to the entire force and morale. Some argued that the requirement was a "form of discrimination" against officers who were above the normal body mass index.
Within the PNP, officers are required to have a body mass index of between 18.5 and 27. The range can fluctuate depending on the age of the candidate. Health experts said that a body mass index of between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered to be healthy.
In the Philippines, overweight officers are sometimes sent to training camps or assigned to less desirable posts to motivate them into losing weight.
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