GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The Army Reserve Command has ordered stringent vetting process for applicants who wish to become Army reservists.
Major Gen. Romulo Manuel, commander of Arescom, said the Reserve Command of the Philippine Army will implement stringent process in the enlistment and commissionship of applicants who aspire to become Army reservists.
Manuel visited ready reserve units of the Philippine Army in the Soccsksargen region over the weekend where he met and assured Army reservist personnel in the area of the needed capacity training programs which will be implemented by the Arescom under his stewardship.
Manuel, a member of Philippine Military Academy Class 1990, assumed as Arescom chief last February and is set to retire in January.
He said Army reservist applicants will undergo stringent process and must pass the background investigation and physical and medical test to ensure that they do not have derogatory records and at the same time considered to be physically and mentally fit to serve the country as Army reservists.
Manuel stressed that Arescom implemented stringent vetting process for Army reservists applicants after some Army reservist personnel were implicated in criminal activities, specifically the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo in which one of the key suspects was said to be an Army reservist who served as bodyguard of Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves who was tagged as brains in the killing.
Manuel said Arescom is supervising more than 800,000 Army reservists nationwide, including the more than 400,000 Reserve Officers Training Course cadets.
He said the number of ROTC cadets is expected to increase by 900,000 should the government implement the mandatory ROTC program for senior high school and college students in 2024.
Arescom is mandated to train and mobilize Army reservists to help in disaster response and humanitarian assistance during calamities and called to active duty in times of national invasion and emergencies.