Various groups and candidates have criticized vice presidential aspirant Sara Duterte-Carpio’s plan to make the youth more active in nation-building.
According to Duterte-Carpio, military service should be made mandatory.
“Nakikita po natin ito sa ibang bansa, sa Korea, Israel, hindi lang ROTC na isang subject, o isang weekend o isang buwan sa isang taon. Dapat po lahat po ng ating 18 years old, pagtuntong mo ng 18 years old you will be given a subsidy. You will be asked to serve the country doon sa ating Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said Duterte-Carpio.
Some groups and opponents immediately criticized Sara Duterte.
“I strongly object to this proposal. This is a step in the wrong direction. Rather than giving them military training, we should strengthen their civic consciousness and capability to respond to problems that affect the nation and Filipinos in general,” said Lito Atienza, an opponent of Duterte-Carpio.
As for the Akbayan party-list, it seems that Duterte-Carpio is planning to clear the name of his father, who is allegedly “cowardly” against China.
“It only serves to whitewash his father’s cowardice to China. For the last five years, Sara’s father bowed down to China and its interests… And now after failing in its duty, the government’s vice presidential bet wants future generations to make up for their treachery by imposing compulsory military service?” said Akbayan 1st nominee Perci Cendaña.
Groups oppose Sara Duterte’s plan on mandatory military service
According to vice presidential aspirant Walden Bello, Duterte-Carpio seems to want to continue her father’s legacy, President Rodrigo Duterte, to arm the people and teach them to kill.
“Duterte’s legacy was to arm people and tell them to kill. Now his daughter wants to do that to children as well. Sara Duterte’s latest pronouncements about using the OVP to stand for mandatory military service is a mask-off moment for the dictator-in-waiting, and should quell any doubt that the daughter will be any different from the father,” said Bello.
Duterte-Carpio replied that the 18-year-old is no longer a child and that the military service proposal is also teaching love for the country and not arming people to kill.
“Only the likes of Mr. Bello would think of mandatory military service for its citizens as arming them and telling them to kill – instead of looking at it as something that inspires patriotism in the youth,” the Davao City mayor said.
She also stressed at the same time that she wants the youth to be trained on disaster preparedness to help in rescue operations and during disasters.
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