120 Apayao folks join army training

NEW RECRUITS.  Some 120 young volunteers from Apayao province undergo basic military training. The training, which started Friday (Oct. 29, 2021), will last for 45 days. (Photo courtesy of the Provincial Government of Apayao) 

By Leilanie Adriano  

STA. MARCELA, Apayao – Some 120 volunteers, aged 18-35 from Apayao’s seven towns, joined a 45-day basic military training here in support of the government’s peace-keeping measures and as reservists in case of national emergencies and during relief and rescue operations.
    Organized by the 1405th Kalinga-Apayao Community Defense Center of the 14th Regional Community Reserve Group Philippine Army Reserve Command (ARESCOM), the training aims to develop participants to become mature, highly disciplined and fully capable service members of the community.
    Drill instructors will teach them how to care for one another and function as a member of a team in order to achieve success together.
    The participants will likewise undergo training about first aid, water survival skills, marksmanship, tactics, and other related topics.
    During the opening ceremony recently here at Bacut Lake Tourism Complex, Provincial board member Mailah Haylee Ballesteros lauded the steady support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in sharing with the Apayao government’s sustained efforts to promote peace and development among its citizenry.
    “We capitalize on peace and order as our greatest strength, to transcend our diversities and sustain the development gains inked by our forefathers and previous leaders in the history of our province,” said Philippine Councilor’s League (PCL) Apayao Chapter President and ex-officio board member Kyle Maria Chelsea S. Bulut, who represented Gov. Eleanor Bulut-Begtang during the event. -- PNA