CAMP GEN. CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal– Around 250 Army aspirants took oath during the opening ceremony of the Candidate Soldier Course Classes 562 and 563 for 2018 at the 2nd Infantry “Jungle Fighter” Division (2ID) Training School here (2DTS) last Saturday.
Major General Rhoderick Parayno, the 2ID commander, welcomed the new recruits, composed of 244 males and six females – who would be joining the Philippine Army after passing the Complete Physical Examination (CPE) at the 2nd Army Station Hospital (2ASH).
The soldier-candidates went through medical, psychological and physical examination as requisites to undergo the basic military training.
Parayno also commended the 2ID staff behind the screening and selection process of the new recruits.
“Tinanong ko kayo ng mga mahahalagang katanungan na may kaugnayan sa determinasyon niyo na magsundalo sapagkat tunay na hindi isang biro ang maging isang kawal ng Philippine Army. Ang inyong pagsali sa hanay ng kasundaluhan ay nangangahulugan ng inyong pagtalikod sa buhay na inyong nakagisnan (I asked you (candidate soldiers) of the challenging question pertaining to your determination to become soldiers because truly being a Philippine Army soldier is not a joke. Your entry to the ranks of the military means you have to abandon what your past life was),” Parayno said.
He said that the recruits’ entry into the training ground signals that they voluntarily offer their services, not only for the government, but also for the country.
“Sa kursong ito ay huhubugin ang mga katangian na dapat ninyong taglayin bilang isang sundalo tulad ng patriyotismo, propesyonalismo at higit sa lahat ang maging tunay na disiplinado (In this training course, your traits will be honed like a true soldier imbued with patriotism, professionalism and above all to be disciplined),” he added.
Capt. Patrick Jay Retumban, chief of the 2ID public affairs office, the new recruits will undergo the five-month basic military training prior to their enlistment in the Army.
Retumban said the formal ceremony culminated in the reception rites, which featured the time-honored military tradition of welcoming the “cream of the crop” among recruits, who have passed the screening and selection process.
He said one of the challenges that would demonstrate the candidate-soldiers’ stamina and agility during the ceremony is the mud challenge, where they perform “log rolling to the left and right” at a mud-packed area at the training site. (Saul Pa-a/PNA)
