Secret weapon

Happy 41st anniversary to the Reserve Command of the Philippine Army (RSECOM, PA).

I’d like to take this chance to congratulate RESCOM PA Commander, Major General Romulo Manuel Jr., and all our reservists, AFP personnel and volunteers for a successful 4th blood donation drive last Aug. 25, 2024; conducted in the spirit of civic duty, volunteerism and National Heroes Day. It went so well that RESCOM PA surpassed its previous record and set a new one with 18,525 blood donations nationwide! Last year’s blood drive was already award-winning. It earned RESCOM Dugong Alay Dugtong Buhay, Inc.’s Certificate of Recognition for setting the Philippine record for the highest number of blood bags collected in a single day. More than the blood collected, it showcased a very important aspect of national security, volunteerism.

I stand by my belief that a country’s reserve force is one of its best kept secret weapons, both in wartime and for peacekeeping. A formidable reserve force is a deterrent to war, a mechanism for self-discipline and social order, a cost-efficient measure for one’s national security paradigm, a vital component of a whole-of-nation approach to disaster resilience and a veritable conduit of civic duty and volunteerism.

A great example of that is my great grandfather, Fernando Poe Sr., who was a reserve officer that was called to action in World War II, fought, was captured, survived the Bataan Death March and went on to become a real life action hero, retiring with the rank of Captain after the war. Serving in the reserves and supporting our armed forces runs deep in the family. (I guess this is where FPJ got his inspiration.) Virtues of volunteerism and bayanihan have always been core values.

Our history reveals that Philippine sovereignty began with heroic volunteerism. Sometime in late August 1896, the volunteer-members of the Katipunan led by Andres Bonifacio declared the aspiration of the humble Filipino people for self-governance and freedom from the oppression of the Spanish Empire. It was unfortunate that those times forced our forebears to assert sovereignty through arms and bloodshed, to earn our independence at great cost. We must be aware that, now, we are fortunate enough to build from the gains of our national heroes, and to have the opportunity to choose the path of peace in asserting our sovereignty throughout our entire territorial and maritime jurisdiction against any and all threats against the rule of law.

Civilian and military preparedness unavoidably includes the Philippines’ reserve force. It’s a secret weapon in dealing with the many complex challenges facing the Filipino people in the 21st century and beyond. Incremental improvement in the involvedness of the reserve force in our civilian and military operations can allow us to be scientific in our approach, and in understanding what works.

As we aim to save lives and mitigate property damage, reserve forces can be even more embedded in preparedness, disaster risk reduction and disaster relief operations in the face of delayed La Niña, which is expected in the last quarter of 2024. Storms, floods and landslides may increase in intensity, but deaths and damages don’t have to follow the same tragic trend. With adequate support, preparation and personnel, I am certain the tide may be stemmed by our incredibly capable reserve force.

I strongly support efforts for systemic reforms of our army reserve force. As we search for solutions, there is much to gain from other countries’ experiments.

We can look to Taiwan, our neighbor and widely considered a flashpoint whose destiny is ineluctably intertwined with ours. In 2023, Taiwan was estimated to have 169,000 active-duty personnel and 1.66 million reservists; approximately seven percent of its 23 million population for its 168 islands’ defense. Recent legislative reforms with their reserve force, including budget and mandatory service increases, project that their active-duty personnel can reach up to 215,000 with 2.3 million reserve personnel. It thereby theoretically raises Taiwan’s preparedness with nearly 10 percent of its population training for Taiwan’s defense. Taiwan also has its Han Kuang Exercises, a civilian and military preparedness initiative since held annually since 1984 and just concluded its 40th iteration last July 2024. Its programs have been increasingly inclusive of their reserve force performing greater roles, and always familiarizing civilians so that, if the worst occurs, then citizens are prepared.

In comparison, our sprawling 7,000-island archipelago has 150,000 active-duty personnel backed up by 1.2 million reservists. Collectively, it is roughly only one percent of our 113 million population. Figures are more disconcerting when examining the details; only 71,000 are “ready reservists” as of September last year. Even with the 227,000-strong police force and 30,000 able-bodied Philippine Coast Guard, it is apparent that the Philippines’ combat-ready personnel will be easily overwhelmed in an invasion scenario.

Moving forward, it’s best to review our national security paradigm with our Philippine military-to-civilian population ratio in mind. There is thus merit in legislative debates on mandatory military service through Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and greater cooperation with our allies worldwide. Notably, 2024 was marked by the first United States Army Reserve and Philippine Army Reserve Subject Matter Expert Exchange heightening interoperability and exchange of institutional knowledge between US and Philippines reserve forces.

We don’t aim for a nation under arms or one fearful of war. Instead, we work together for a brighter future for the Philippines, one of prosperity and peace characterized by greater volunteerism, stability, preparedness, cooperation and bayanihan. In accomplishing this significant communal task, we should support and sharpen our reserve force, as it plays a greater role in “Serving the People” and “Securing the Land.”