Brawner favors tapping gun owners as reserve forces

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. on Wednesday said he is in favor of the recommendation to allow licensed gun owners to become part of the country's reserve forces.

In an interview with reporters, Brawner said that having more troops with knowledge in handling firearms would boost the defensive capacity of the Armed Forces.

"I am in support of that kasi nga kailangan natin na palakihin 'yung ating [we need to expand our] reserve force, and we want to make sure that our reserve force is ready to perform any tasking and one of the core competencies ng isang sundalo [of a soldier] is that he or she should be adept, should be competent in the use of the firearm," the AFP chief said.

"So kung dati na siyang shooter at marunong na siya [if one is a former shooter and is knowledgeable] especially on the safety of handling a weapon, then they are all welcomed to join the reservists," he added.

Senator Mark Villar, who is a reservist of the Philippine Air Force, earlier said that gun owners should be encouraged to join the reserve force, and Filipino reservists should thus be given necessary support for their training and materials.

Last September, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said he intended to revise the current design of the AFP's reserve forces paradigm, pointing out that the current design may no longer be valid given the current threats against the country.

Teodoro also said that the Philippines could be facing an unknown, incoming threat that may call for Filipinos to work together to defend the country, especially with aerial and maritime defenses. — VDV, GMA Integrated News