Filipino soldiers will undergo regular training on peacekeeping operations as part of the government's commitment to the United Nations, Army chief Lt. Gen. Voltaire Gazmin said yesterday.
The training will form part of regular courses offered to all Army personnel as Manila's "commitment to the promotion of world peace and security," said Gazmin in a statement.
He said the training would be patterned after a course given to 60 Filipino soldiers by two British officers from the UN Training Advisory Team at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija last year.
Filipino soldiers and policemen are involved in UN peacekeeping operations in East Timor and Kosovo.
There are at present 600 Filipino soldiers in East Timor but the number will be increased to 1,000 this month when Air Force Lt. Gen. Jaime de los Santos assumes as head of the UN Transitional Administration for East Timor (UNTAET).