Dellosa wants involvement of reservists

MANILA, Philippines - Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Jessie Dellosa has ordered the review of the AFP Reserve Force Development Program to ensure synchrony between the active and reserve forces in dealing with and handling military and defense matters.

“Our reservists must form part of the integrated territorial defense system in peacetime. We must ready our reservists to perform a variety of physical and psychological roles, and support civil authorities for peace and development,” the AFP chief said.

Dellosa also instructed the AFP Reserve Command to give priority to the development of the reservists as territorial forces for internal peace and security, making them the community-based backbone of the military’s first responders in the event of calamities and natural disasters.

The AFP chief added the country is now shifting its focus from internal security operations to territorial defense in order to utilize the gains achieved from internal security operation.

“With the improved security conditions that led to the declaration of Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor as insurgency-free areas, there is (now) a need for the AFP Reserve Force to take a more organized and active role in the preservation of internal security operation. We should not solely rely on our active force component to perform territorial functions, as our battalions are primarily tactical maneuver units that our commanders can re-deploy for force projection or mass forces in priority areas,” Dellosa said.