Bato dances the Zumba, brings ‘Mission Slimpossible’ to Cebu

SLIM CHALLENGE. Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, lead the Zumba dance exercise with some 300 other police officers and non-uniform personnel in the “Mission Slimpossible” challenge held on Wednesday, August 23, 2017, at Camp Sergio Osmeña that encourages men and women in uniform to stay fit.
CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA

Emphasizing the need for policemen to stay fit and healthy, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa yesterday led around 300 Cebu policemen in a Zumba dance exercise at the grounds of Camp Sergio Osmeña, the headquarters of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) in Cebu City, on Wednesday.

“Maayong panglawas mao ang atong reward sa atong kaugalingon (Good health is our reward to ourselves),” he told reporters as he wiped the sweat off his face following a vigorous dance.

The energetic PNP chief launched the “Mission Slimpossible” project last June to encourage policemen to sweat it out and lose belly fat so that they can perform their duties and responsibilities well.

The 170,000-strong PNP committed to lose at least 500,000 pounds collectively for six months, hoping to help policemen prevent lifestyle diseases.

Dela Rosa expressed concern about the health of some policemen. He said the lack of physical fitness has been affecting the performance of some members of the PNP.

He said it is important for every policeman to stay fit so that they won’t easily fall prey to criminals.

“If policemen are physically fit and healthy, it will motivate them to do their duties well,” he said.

Dela Rosa challenged policemen to commit to the program and lose weight as a personal goal and not because they were commanded to do so by the PNP chief.

“Kini nga program, para sab ni sa atong kaayuhan. Sayang ang retirement benefit kon dili ta fit (This program is also for our own good. We might not be able to enjoy our retirement benefit if we are unfit),” he added.

Dela Rosa gave tips to policemen on how to lose weight.

“We can burn calories through walking than sitting there and using Facebook. We need to get healthy through diet and exercise,” he said.

Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, PRO-7 director, assured Dela Rosa of their full support in trying to help policemen stay fit and healthy.

“PRO-7 will cooperate in this endeavor. We will have Zumba dance exercises every week to shed pounds off our policemen’s weight,” he said.