Actors in reserve force yet to finish training —Army

Showbiz personalities who have been accepted into the reserve force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines are not yet done with their training.

Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala made the clarification after a reservist officer questioned the short courses actors Gerald Anderson and Matteo Guidicelli took to become reservists.

"The training of these artists is just the beginning of a series of training they will have to undergo to accomplish the program of instruction," Zagala told GMA News Online.

"Like all soldiers, learning is a continuous process they will undergo," he added.

The reservist, a captain, said in a Facebook post that students would have to undergo two years of mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) training.

The actors, he said, only needed 30 days.

"What's the point in forcing our senior high school students to undergo two years of mandatory ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) when it only took three days of orientation training for Gerald Anderson and 30 days of military leadership training for Matteo Guidicelli to qualify as Army reservists?" the post read.

Zagala said the actors could be "role models" who can help in the aim of the Army to raise awareness in its mission to defend the country against internal and external aggression.

He also noted that these personalities were all volunteers.

"We are grateful to our civilian counterparts who also share the vision of serving the people and securing the land," Zagala said.

"Our enemies are utilizing deception to sway public opinion against the government and we saw an opportunity to further our cause through the help of our partners in the entertainment industry," he added. —NB, GMA News