By Hannah Torregoza Senator Imee Marcos on Sunday urged the government to help the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) beef up its recruitment processes by offering incentives to make military service attractive to those interested to join the AFP. Senator Imee Marcos (Senator Imee Marcos Official Facebook Page / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Marcos said the government must help the AFP, and even the Philippine National Police (PNP), to recruit able bodies by offering incentives that can entice individuals into initially joining the Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC). “Gawin nilang atraktibo, gawin nilang kanais nais maging sundalo. Ibig sabihin , what I’m saying is, for the first time bigyan natin ng accident, health, life insurance yung mga papasok sa (those who will join the) ROTC,” Marcos said in an interview over Dobol B, GMANews TV. “Bigyan din natin ng benepisyo yung kanilang mga pamilya sa armed forces para makabili ng mga murang bilihin, (Let us also grant benefits to their families, so they can buy goods at an affordable price),” Marcos said. Marcos also said the government should also consider granting stipend or allowances to ROTC trainers to encourage them to teach. “Dahil extra service ito, eh bigyan natin ng stipend. Parang allowance, malaking bagay yun eh (Because they are providing extra services, let’s give them a stipend. Or an allowance, that’s a big thing),” she said. She also said the government should also provide accident, health or life insurance as an incentive to cover in case of an unfortunate incident. “Di rin maipagkakaila, ako nanay ako ng tatlong lalaki. Parati akong kinakabahan. Ok lang yung maarawan, pabayaan mo na yung martsa-martsa. Ang problema diyan may (You can’t deny it, I’m also a mother with three sons. I’m always anxious. It’s okay for them to spend time under the sun, let them march. The problem here is there is this) six percent acceptable casualty ratio,” Marcos pointed out. “May madadali at may madadali, kung hindi masasaktan, eh may mamamatay pa. Siyempre hindi maganda pakinggan sa mga nanay yung acceptable casualty. Masakit sa tenga yun. Pero sa totoo lang talagang may nangyayari at nangyayaring ganyan (There will always be an accident, if not injured, someone can die. Of course, for mothers it’s not a pleasant thing to hear about acceptable casualty. But in reality it can really happen),” she said. She also said the military should try focusing their recruitment efforts in outside of Metro Manila, especially in Northern Central Luzon where most of the people are interested to join the armed forces. “Tulad sa amin, pinakamataas na recruitment sa mga Ilokano,” said Marcos, former governor or Ilocos Norte. “I-focus nila sa Northern Central Luzon, maliwanag na hilig ng mga Ilokano,” she said, adding that the AFP should also consider recruiting people in Mindanao, which is home to spirited warriors. “Unahin na natin sila (Let’s prioritize them). Let’s not waste time here in Cebu, in Manila. Hindi talaga mahilig na mag sundalo diyan eh. Wala sa kultura eh,” she pointed out. “Tulungan natin an gating army mag-recruit, i-concentrate natin (yung recruitment process), tutukan natin yan,” she said. Marcos earlier filed Senate Bill No. 413, or the proposed “Citizen Service Program” for grade school to college students which she said still accommodates President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for military training for the youth but still allows college students to choose the type of training, be it in community service, disaster preparedness and or environmental protection. The senator also said that imposing the ROTC in Grades 11 and 12 could also hold the Philippines liable for violation of United Nations Resolution 1261 which seeks to end the use of children as soldiers.