Physical and moral fitness

As embodiments of law and order, police officers should project competence and capability whenever and wherever they are seen by the citizenry. Simply, this means not only that their uniforms are crisp and tidy but also that they look, and are, physically capable. Often, however, we are presented a demoralizing sight—overweight policemen standing on street corners, their bellies spilling over their belts and their uniforms straining at the seams. These are the people who will protect us?

Unsettling news concerning the issue came out last week from the Philippine National Police. According to the PNP Health Service, more than half of the personnel assigned to the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame (3,283 of the 6,253 officers and employees) are overweight and one in every 10 (or 588) is obese. They must now participate in an eight-week weight loss program—or risk being axed.

That piece of news should also be considered a warning to all overweight policemen all over the country. Any of the PNP’s 145,000 personnel may be removed from the service if found physically unfit for their duties, said PNP Director General Nicanor Bartolome Jr.

It’s stated in PNP regulations that “failed physical fitness test ratings are grounds for separation from the service,” according to Senior Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr., the police force’s spokesperson. Said Senior Supt. Angela Manas Vidal, director of the PNP Health Service: “The work of a policeman is more physical [than most other jobs]. Those on patrol beats need to walk all the time, so they can’t afford to be heavy. Those who are overweight can’t chase criminals if they’re too heavy or weak.”

Building a fit police force is a sound idea, but not a novel one. The first PNP director general to strongly emphasize the value of physical fitness was Panfilo Lacson, now a senator. In 2000, Lacson required all PNP personnel to hew to a standard 34-inch waistline at the maximum, but unfortunately, that requirement seems to have been forgotten. This time, the PNP has to make sure its measures will work.

The physical fitness of police personnel is actually mandated by Republic Act 8851 (also known as the Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998). The law even has a provision stating that PNP personnel “must weigh not more or less than five kilograms from the standard weight corresponding to his or her height, age, and sex.”

But even as we look forward to seeing trim and hardy cops as a result of the PNP’s weight loss program, we must remember that their physical fitness hardly matters without moral fitness in the exercise of their duties to enforce the law and to save and protect the citizenry. Rogue cops who flout the law and commit the very crimes they are sworn to prevent have been and continue to be the bane of society. Only recently, two Manila cops were positively identified by their victims as having ransacked a house and terrorized the family living there, and a Tuguegarao policeman was reported to have followed his wife to a rented room in Manila and shot her dead out of jealousy. And it’s too soon to forget the 14 police officials found to have been involved in the government purchase of used helicopters at brand-new rates…

Even worse than the image of the overweight cop is that of the corrupt cop. It’s an image that the PNP has long tried to erase, with not much success. In fact, certain PNP statistics show a truly disturbing trend: that younger, rookie policemen tend to commit crimes or abuse their authority than the ranking ones. The numbers show that the lower the cops’ rank, the higher the likelihood of their getting involved in crime, PNP spokesperson Cerbo was quoted as telling reporters. He said that “based on the trending, the problem starts at the training and selection process.”

Now more than ever, in an administration that promises to tread the straight and narrow, the citizenry needs cops—male or female, rookie or ranking—of the highest caliber. This means that they are not only physically fit but also upright and morally strong—“persons of good moral character,” as the Police Reform Act puts it simply. An overhaul of the training and selection process is clearly but one of many steps in a long journey of reform. It’s time for the PNP to go back to the basics: Lay down high standards, instill sound values, and ensure the wherewithal for strict compliance.