Thursday, January 30, 2020

IP soldiers in Surigao Sur undergo ALS classes

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 30, 2020): IP soldiers in Surigao Sur undergo ALS classes (By Alexander Lopez)




NEVER TOO LATE TO LEARN. Soldiers belonging to Manobo and Mamanwa tribes assigned under the Army's 36th Infantry Battalion in Surigao del Sur are undergoing Alternative Learning System (ALS) education. 36IB officials say the classes aim to prepare the students for higher educational endeavors and to cope with the standards of the Army. (Photo courtesy of 36IB)

At least 14 soldiers belonging to Manobo and Mamanwa tribes are now undergoing their regular Alternative Learning System (ALS) at the headquarters of the Army's 36th Infantry Battalion in the Surigao del Sur town of Tago.

Captain Jonald D. Romorosa, 36IB civil-military operations officer, said that after completing the ALS, the soldiers belonging to the indigenous peoples (IPs) will have the opportunity to enroll in higher levels of education.


“They will undergo daily classes in the headquarters from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.,” Romorosa told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Wednesday (January 29).

The IP soldiers were integrated into the Army through the special enlistment while the others were former rebels who returned to the fold of the law, he said.

Romorosa said 36IB aims to develop and enhance the individual capabilities of every IP soldiers in line with the Army's Transformation Roadmap (ATR) that seeks to professionalize its ranks.

In a statement to the media on Wednesday, 36IB commander, Lt. Col. Jezreel Diagmel, said ALS will help IP soldiers enhance their individual development to prepare them for future endeavors and to cope with the standards of the Army.

“This ALS program to the IP soldiers will bolster their confidence and enhance their individual capability. This will serve as their stepping stone and tool as they go along with their career in the army,” Diagmel said.

An IP soldier quoted in the statement expressed gratitude to the Army for giving them "importance, priority, and the opportunity" to develop themselves.

“Education is the best foundation and a tool against deception,” said the IP soldier, a former member of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

The soldier said the NPA has misled hundreds of IPs, especially the youth, and "took away the opportunities" of the young to gain proper education.

The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1092271

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.