THE Department of National Defense (DND), along with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) expressed support to vice-presidential aspirant Sara Duterte-Carpio’s proposal to impose mandatory military service for all Filipinos ages 18 and above.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said by imposing mandatory military service to Filipinos, the military will have a ready and steady trained pool of reservists to defend the country and do humanitarian assistance and disaster response work.
He said the training and discipline that will be acquired will make Filipinos become better citizens and the service to the country will be inculcated in them.
“However, there are huge hurdles in implementing this. First are the funds and resources. Training camps would need to be established all over the land, and manpower and funds must be allocated to accommodate the millions who will reach the age of 18 every year,” said Lorenzana.
“Second, are the anticipated objections of those who are not inclined to serve in the military. Third, we are not on war footing and there will be little need of a general mobilization,” he added.
Lorenzana said the implementation of the mandatory Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program in private and public schools is the “better alternative” for mandatory military service.
He said the product of the ROTC program is more than sufficient to meet the country’s need for manpower in case of conflict and in times of calamities and disasters.
“We are already starting to implement this in the state universities and colleges (SUCs). This program, which targets the K11-K12 levels, will produce a huge number of youths who will form part of our reservists,” the Defense chief said.
In a separate statement, AFP spokesperson Colonel Ramon Zagala said they welcome the proposal, as this is “attuned to the times while the government is faced with adversities and challenges, aligned with the aspirations for the citizenry to contribute to nation-building.”
“Rendering mandatory military service will only help us to establish base for a strong armed forces, and therefore a strong nation,” he added.
For his part, PNP spokesperson Colonel Roderick Alba said the PNP fully supports all initiatives to establish a national program of mandatory military service for all citizens, as it sees that the optional service through the National Service Training Program (NSTP) and ROTC may not be enough to fully comply with the requirements of complete citizens' military training.
“With a strong and capable military reserve force that can be mobilized for contingencies and emergency, the AFP can focus better on its external defense role while the PNP takes on the mandate of internal security, law enforcement and public safety,” Alba said.
“With a strong mass base of able-bodied citizens trained in the basics of discipline, love of country, disaster response and practical life-saving skills, our country can better cope with the perennial natural emergencies that are already part of our geo-landscape,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)