Nocppo to put up fitness camp for obese cops

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) is planning to start a fitness camp next week for its overweight personnel.

Police Colonel Romeo Baleros, Nocppo director, said yesterday that he will temporarily house all obese policemen from different police stations in the province at the provincial police headquarters here to join the fitness training.

Baleros said such move is in line with the program of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Archie Francisco Gamboa to discipline police officers by being healthy.

Baleros said they have to identify first their participants before they start the fitness program for 45 to 60 days.

He is also calling on local government units for the donation of fitness equipment to the provincial police force.

He said it is important for these policemen to be monitored so that they can achieve significant weight loss all throughout their fitness journey.

“We can closely monitor their nutrition and fitness training…what food should they eat, which exercise best fits them – if they stay together in one place,” he added.

He said this is also a way to monitor their body mass index (BMI).

Last month, the Regional Learning and Doctrine Division visited Nocppo headquarters and subjected all personnel to random weighing to check their improvement in the past four months.

Meanwhile, Baleros presented to the media yesterday one of his personnel who weighs 158 kilos who will be among the participants in the fitness camp. He, however, refused to name him upon the request of the said police officer.

The police officer said that he started to walk 2 to 3 kilometers inside the camp every morning which resulted in him losing 12 kilos in four months.

He said it‘s really difficult to lose weight especially that he’s really used to eating more rice.

But, he said he will comply with the guidance and directive of Baleros and the higher headquarters for health reasons.

He said his ideal weight must be 80-90 kilos as he stands 5’11.”

Baleros posted a video on Facebook on Saturday while he was instructing the said police officer to do sit-ups inside his office. It garnered mixed reactions from netizens, some posted good comments while other took it negatively.

The police officer said that he was aware about the video and that he was able to talk to Baleros prior to its filming.

He said he didn’t feel embarrassed about it because he admitted he lacks discipline to exercise and do other fitness activities to trim down.

He said Baleros has a good motive for doing it because his superior just wants him to be physically fit to be able to deliver and serve others well.

The video garnered more than 400,000 views, almost 6,000 reactions, 6,800 shares, and 1,800 comments.