Armed forces to swell ranks with reservists

Philippines military building up its citizen army force

The Philippine military is boosting its reservist ranks in a bid to confront challenges to civil concerns as well as security threats.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Eduardo Año urged more professionals and students to join military reservist programmes following the Duterte Administration’s thrust on peace and security.

“The preservation of the state is an obligation of every citizen. The AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) believes that military reservist programmes are good training platforms and opportunities for our citizens, particularly the youth to prepare them in a shared role in nationhood and nation building,” AFP Public Affairs Office Chief Marine Col. Edgard Arevalo said.

The Philippine military has been steadily building up the numbers, as well as of capabilities of its reservist ranks over the past several years. One reason for this is that during times of calamity or other emergencies, the armed forces can draw on reservists to render duty.

Reservist numbers

“At present, the AFP has a total of 385,116-strong Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine reservists. Of which, 78,735 are Ready Reserve or on constant alert and training, 292, 427 are Standby Reserve or the base for expansion, support and augmentation for the Ready Reserve, and 13,954 are Affiliated Reserve,” Arevalo said.

Like regular soldiers, reservists are volunteers. However, they only render a portion of their personal time to the profession of arms. In the case of the AFP, only one day in a week.

“The AFP regards highly the role that the Reservists play in the accomplishment of its mission. They are not simply force multipliers; they are important component and partners in various non-lethal military operations and activities. It is admirable that, despite the fact that they receive no compensation and leaves the practice of their professions for the period that they serve the AFP, they remain committed, dependable, and ready to be deployed, Arevalo said.