More than 100 Army reservist commanders in 16 provinces in the Visayas underwent leadership development sessions and response readiness tests over the weekend, an official said on Monday, October 28.
Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) commandants from different universities and colleges in the central Philippines and their corps of cadet commanders also attended the two-day session at Camp Adriano Hernandez in Dingle, Iloilo, from October 26 to 27.
Major General Romulo Manuel Jr., chief of the Philippine Army’s Reserve Command, said a total of 124 reservist officers, commandants, and corps commanders showed up to get updates on regulatory aspects of the reservist affairs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Romulo said the reservists from the three regions also briefed AFP officials on their respective initiatives to help the regular force in times of disaster and emergencies and their operational collaboration with the regular force in combat, intelligence, and civil-military operations (CMO).
“We would like to capacitate the reservists for calamity response. The regular force will look upon the reserve force in times of war,” the Army official said, citing the ongoing war in Ukraine which is now being fought by the citizens’ armed forces.
In a workshop facilitated by the Army CMO Regiment chief Brigadier General Benjamin Hao, reservist commanders shared their best practices for collaborating with local government units, corporate citizens, doctors, and lawyers to ramp up the reservist force’s effectiveness in times of war, and calamities, and support the national government in socioeconomic development activities.
They were also exposed to strategies to address personnel fill-up in the respective ready reserve units (RRU), logistical support, and military skills capability build-up.
“Reservists are now required to undergo regular marksmanship skills retraining and record firing. Different AFP units are also required to assist the RRUs near them through the “Train Your Reservists” program,” Romulo added.
With the effort to quell insurgency in the entire Visayas by the end of 2024, 3rd Infantry Division commander, Major General Marion Sison said during the fellowship night on Saturday, October 26, the focus will shift to territorial defense by 2025, which needs much help from the reserve force. (PNA)