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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Youth group opposes Sara Duterte's mandatory military service proposal

Youth group opposes Sara Duterte's mandatory military service proposal

Published Jan 22, 2022 02:43 pm

A youth group has expressed its opposition to the proposal of vice-presidential aspirant Sara Duterte-Carpio of requiring mandatory training for young Filipinos.

(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

In a statement released Friday, Jan. 21, the Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) affirmed that "social progress requires more than just obedient soldiers."

"Proposing mandatory military service does nothing to address the surge of COVID-19 cases, rampant corruption in the health sector, and the crippling lack of social aid; in fact, such proposal would only further divert crucial funding from these issues," SPARK said.

The group added that it's "unclear" why Duterte thinks that the youth should learn to serve their community and promote their own welfare through the military.

"Bodies such as community organizations and local government already exist to fulfill these very purposes; not to mention everyday occupations such as health work and manufacturing that already contribute immensely to the society," it stressed.

Earlier, Duterte said if she wins, she would push to make military service mandatory for all Filipinos once they turn 18.

The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is a college program designed to train civilians in the rudiments of military service in order to produce capable Armed Forces of the Philippines reservists.

It was made optional in 2002 following the death of Mark Chua, a University of Sto. Tomas Student. He was allegedly slain by course officers after exposing the corruption in the university's ROTC program.

Related Tags

Sara Duterte Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan rotc
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