MANILA — While all 282 members of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Alab Tala” Class of 2018 will be joining the three major military branches of service, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said these numbers are not enough as he revealed they are planning to recruit more military officers from the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) ranks.
Lorenzana noted that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) needs to recruit 500 to 600 officers yearly to replace those who have resigned, retired or those killed in action.
The yearly output of the PMA, he said, is not enough for the AFP’s requirement, prompting them to recruit ROTC graduates and subject them to a year-long training before commissioning them as regular military officers.
He said the need is more pressing now considering that the AFP is authorized to create 10 more additional battalions following its experience in the five-month siege in Marawi City where it was forced to shift units from Luzon and Visayas to reinforce troops battling Maute Group terrorists. (Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)
