Marine brigade forms Volunteer Reservists

KALAMANSIG, Sultan Kudarat –- The military’s 1stMarine Brigade has been training individuals, professionals, former Moro rebels and even highlanders, to become Marine reservists unit in Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao’s coastal villages. Brigadier General Alvin Parreno, 1stMarine Brigade chief, was surprised more than 2,000 individuals from Kalamansig, Lebak, Palimbang in Sultan Kudarat and in the coastal municipalities of South and North Upi in Maguindanao have showed up to be counted as Volunteer Marine reservist. The volunteers include doctors, government employees, professionals, farmers and fisher folks who wanted to serve,” Parreno said. The recruitment look like there was like a massive training in preparation for a foreign invasion. Parreno said even former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants joined the training for a noble cause. He said the volunteer reservists will also form part of the government’s human resources for volunteer operations like rescue or during calamity an disasters. This is reserve force and an expansion of regular force in times of invasion or in war,” Parreno said, adding he felt patriotism is in the air” in these coastal towns. This is an answer to the pronouncement of the President Duterte to improve and to enforce the reserve force the Republic of the Philippines,” he added. Haron Gantayan, former MNLF combatant, and among the volunteers, said he came over to serve. I joined as reservist because I want to be part of peace building,” Gantayan said. (Ferdinandh Cabrera)