Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torres III announced that police personnel must now pass a physical fitness test (PFT) and maintain a normal body mass index (BMI) to be eligible for promotion. This follows the recent requirement for police officers to submit affidavits of arrest as proof of accomplishments.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo stated that failing to meet the required BMI will also result in denial of schooling, a key requirement for promotion. “Malinaw naman yan sa ating circular na kapag bumagsak ng dalawa beses sa PFT na magkasunod ay hindi ka pupwedeng mapromote (That is clear in our circular that if you fail PFT for two consecutive attempts, you cannot be promoted),” Fajardo said. “Nasa policy na natin yan at hindi ka rin pupuwede mag avail ng schooling ng training… (That’s already in our policy and you won’t be able to avail of schooling or training either…).”
Fajardo emphasized that Torre’s directive aims to professionalize the organization. “Annually naman ay nag-uundergo tayo ng mga physical fitness test but this time around, ang gusto ng ating chief PNP ay yung honest to goodness na PFT, hindi lang yung sa papel ka nakapasa (We undergo physical fitness tests annually, but this time around, what our PNP chief wants is an honest-to-goodness PFT, not just the one you passed on paper).”
An ideal BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9. A range of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, while a BMI of 30 and above is classified as obese.
In addition to physical fitness, Torre recently directed the PNP’s Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) to require promotion applicants to submit “receipts” proving they have arrested criminals in accordance with Rule 113 of the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedures.