The Philippine National Police force has been ordered all its officers to shape up, or be fired.

The prescribed maximum waist measurement will be 34in, or a little over 86cm, and anybody who, after six months of slimming, exceeds this, is out of a job.

The girth of hundreds of policemen and women are being measured for "Operation Pot Belly".

Mass aerobics and other exercises are set to become regular events. Overweight police in the northern Philippines have been ordered to climb Mount Pinatubo volcano once a month as part of the fitness campaign.

Even police generals are not exempt. Police chief General Avelino Razon says the problem is one of image.

"It doesn't look good when policemen have large stomachs and they are not physically fit. Having a pot belly means you are not in good condition."

"It's good for the health! Sound mind and sound body equals efficiency," said officer Rey Padolino.

Slimming down the police force

Many see the fitness program as a pretext to weed out unwanted members of the police force.

Since President Joseph Estrada assumed office in 1998, 2,000 officers have fired from the service for accepting bribes or involvement in criminal syndicates.

Some Filipinos are right behind the programme.

"When one is overweight, it's because he has no discipline. The reason why most of our police officers tummies are bulging is because they just sit all day, doing nothing," says Sister Aileen, a Catholic nun and school teacher.

"And people equate this with corruption because all we hear about these cops are reports of abuses and graft."

Others worry about misrepresenting people who may be carrying a little too much weight.

"Not all cops with pot bellies are corrupt," says Joel Espinosa, a student.

"You don't just look the physique of a cop to say his a responsible police officer. The idea to fire overweight cops from the service to change the image of the police force is wrong.

"They can't change the perception of the people towards the police force by merely downsizing their tummies."