A lawmaker from Iloilo urged the government to mobilize the Army Reserve Force of the Philippines to reinforce the workforce responding to the COVID-19 crisis.
“I recommend to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), the Department of National Defense, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government the mobilization of some of the reservists of the uniformed armed services, particularly those who have already graduated from college and have been working,” said Iloilo Representative Raul Tupas in a statement.
Tupas said the chosen reservists might be assigned to help local government units in assisting in logistics, checkpoints, area containment, and public affairs amid the fight against the virus.
He also said merchant marine courses graduates and licensed or employed security guards may also be mobilized as additionally activated reservists.
Tupas said military service is an “honorable profession,” which could be a full-time or part-time career as a reservist.
The Iloilo representative said many adults are more than willing to undergo military reservist training, but they fear to lose their jobs, seniority, and benefits.
“[These] are mature and patriotic adults who deserve to be enabled and encouraged to devote some of their time to serve the country while gaining valuable leadership and technical competencies,” Tupas said.
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Gov’t urged to mobilize army reserve force for COVID-19 fight
Tupas authored the House Bill 6077 or the proposed Reservist Employment Rights Act, which covers the rights and responsibilities of reservists, as well as those of employers.
The bill also prohibits employment discrimination based on rendering military service to the country.
“The DOH and IATF need all the help they can get. These reservists are among the specially-trained people who can be gathered and deployed to perform important roles to protect our citizens,” Tupas said.
Meanwhile, coronavirus mass testing for Metro Manila cops is being pushed as more members of the police get infected by the virus.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas said on Tuesday that he was coordinating with Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro to accommodate police officers at the newly established COVID-19 testing laboratory, which is set to start operations soon.
According to the latest data from PNP, there are already 13 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its personnel. A total of 182 PNP personnel were considered as persons under investigation while 1,545 others were listed as persons under monitoring.