EDITORIAL - Mandatory military service

If elected vice president, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio, a reservist colonel in the Philippine Army, said she will push for mandatory military service for those who just turned 18, male or female.

“We see this in other countries like South Korea and Israel. It should not just be like ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corp) where it’s just one subject or one weekend or a month in a year,” she was quoted as saying in a report in The Inquirer.

Already the proposal has raised howls of protest, especially among those who are opposed to ROTC and those who believe that it will lead to abuses.

While we don’t credit the view that mandatory military service will imbue love of nation in people --the same way ROTC did not really inspire patriotism among harried college students who would rather spend their time doing something else-- we believe it does have benefits.

For one, and most importantly, it can ensure that the nation has a population that can be called to service anytime the nation is threatened. It doesn’t have to be in times of war when this service can be called upon. Times of natural and man-made disasters have use for men and women who have been trained to develop certain skills.

For another, people who are exposed to military training pick up skills and attitudes that can be helpful in life. And we all know many of the youths today can use a little more discipline in how they carry themselves, toughness when dealing with the troubles of life, as well as respect when it comes to dealing with others.

And while, as said earlier, it might not necessarily imbue a love of country, getting to try what they go through might give our general population a greater respect for our professional soldiers and what they do to protect our country.

Right now, there are 85 nations around the world that have mandatory military service. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just for richer nations like Singapore, Korea, and Israel, even nations like Eritrea, Mongolia, and Paraguay have it.

Among the other questions to ask, the biggest one is probably “can we afford it?” Considering how much of our population turns 18 every year this might be a challenge.

Of course, we might be jumping the gun here. This proposal might not even survive the campaign period.

It could also all be a smokescreen. We have to remember that Sara is her father’s daughter and most likely blessed with the political wiliness of the president. This could all be paukyab. Nothing more than something said to divert attention from other issues.