ILOILO City – The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) is turning its eight-week fitness challenge into a continuing campaign, keeping police personnel under its wellness program until they reach appropriate body mass index (BMI) levels.
BMI is a measure that uses a person’s weight in relation to height to broadly classify whether the person falls within an underweight, healthy, overweight or obese range.
The move follows the results of Project SHAPE-UP: 8-Week Fitness and Wellness Challenge, which saw its top performers shed between 21 and 28.5 kilograms in just two months.
PRO-6 director Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño said the results showed that police personnel can significantly improve their physical fitness through sustained training, discipline and monitoring.
Around 91 police personnel from across Western Visayas participated in the challenge, with three members of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) emerging as the top performers.
Police Master Sergeant Joenimar Paloa ranked first after reducing his weight from 100 kilograms to 74 kilograms — a loss of 26 kilograms, or 26 percent of his initial body weight.
Police Master Sergeant Leo Calar placed second after dropping from 125 kilograms to 96.5 kilograms. His 28.5-kilogram reduction was the largest total weight loss among the three awardees.
Police Master Sergeant Glenn Paloa finished third after reducing his weight from 108 kilograms to 87 kilograms, shedding 21 kilograms, or about 19.4 percent of his initial weight.
The three were recognized during an awarding ceremony at Camp General Martin Teofilo Delgado led by Tuaño, with Police Brigadier General Portia Manalad, director of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Health Service, as guest.
Tuaño stressed that the end of the eight-week challenge would not mean the end of PRO-6’s fitness campaign.
“We will continue Project SHAPE-UP until our personnel reach the proper BMI. This is not only an eight-week activity; we want this to become part of our continuing effort to keep our personnel fit and healthy,” Tuaño said.
He said physical fitness is crucial for police officers because the nature of their work demands that they remain capable of responding to various situations at any time.
“Our personnel need to be physically fit because the nature of police work requires them to be ready at all times. We want them to be healthy, disciplined and prepared for their responsibilities,” Tuaño said.
The initiative forms part of the PNP’s broader objective of promoting responsive, trusted and transformative policing.
Tuaño said the program is also intended to instill discipline among police personnel beyond their duties in the field.
“Fitness is not only about losing weight. It is about developing discipline and taking care of our health so that we can perform our duties better,” he said.
Manalad described Project SHAPE-UP as the first program of its kind in the PNP, citing the positive results achieved by participants.
Mental health program launched
PRO-6, meanwhile, has expanded its wellness campaign beyond physical fitness with the launch of Project Tsek-Cop, an initiative focusing on the mental well-being of police personnel.
Tuaño said the program aims to identify possible mental health concerns among personnel, including anxiety and depression, which could affect their relationships and interactions with colleagues.
“We also have to look at the mental health of our personnel. It is important for us to know if there are concerns such as anxiety or depression because these can affect their relationships and their interaction with other people,” Tuaño said.
He said early identification would allow PRO-6 to provide appropriate assistance and intervention to affected personnel.
“If we identify personnel who are experiencing these problems, we should not ignore them. They need the proper intervention and support,” Tuaño said.
Personnel identified as needing assistance will be referred to the Regional Medical and Dental Unit (RMDU) for appropriate intervention and treatment.
Tuaño said combining physical fitness and mental health programs is aimed at developing a healthier police workforce capable of effectively performing its responsibilities.
“We want our police personnel to be physically and mentally prepared for service. Taking care of our people is also part of strengthening our capability to serve the community,” he said./PN
