Police lectured on proper diet and nutrition

 CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) will not only combat crimes and arrest lawless elements but also fight malnutrition through proper diet and nutrition program.

The CCPO came up with the program to change the public’s image over the ideal body figure of a policeman.

Sr. Supt. Melvin Ramon Buenafe, director of the CCPO, said educating all the police on proper diet and how to battle malnutrition would avoid stereotyping from the public.

“Mao mana ang giingon sa uban nga magkadugay sila (police) sa service nagkadako ug nagkabug-at,” Buenafe told The FREEMAN in a phone interview.  (People say the longer the police are in service, the bigger their weight.)

The lecture was made by Cecilia Caballero-Ruiz, chief dietitian and nutritionist of the Don Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.  Buenafe requires all low ranking policemen of every station and unit to join the lecture to prevent them from gaining weight which could make them at risk of diabetes or other illnesses.

“If mudagko na ang tendency they will become lazy,” he said.

The CCPO is now identifying who among the policemen are overweight so they will be given a time frame to reduce their weight.  Sanctions will be imposed on those who cannot comply.  A professional nutritionist will also help them in their weight loss program.

Also last year, the CCPO held a forum on nutrition in line with the 37th Nutrition Month celebration wherein 50 CCPO policemen, most of whom were overweight, were given a lecture on the “Nutritional Guidelines for Healthy Lifestyles.”

Hospital dieticians and nutritionists taught them the basic things to do to have good health, especially since they are public servants. 

The seminar also included the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle like hypertension and diabetes.

Buenafe said they embarked on the forum to encourage healthy lifestyle, believing that peace and order starts with the healthy policemen.  (FREEMAN)