There will NEVER be Justice For the SAF 44 As Long As the BARMM Exists

The anniversary of the death of the SAF 44 has once more come and gone and with it the same empty platitudes about honoring them and calls for justice. But the fact is there will never be justice for the SAF 44. A former SAF chief lamented this fact. 

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2024/1/25/-justice-evades-SAF-44.html

Justice has not been served for the fallen commandos of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), also known as SAF 44, former commander Getulio Napeñas Jr. said on Thursday.

“Not yet, was there a case filed against those people who killed the 44? Until now, not yet,” Napeñas said in Silang, Cavite during the National Remembrance of the Heroic Sacrifice of the SAF 44.

[Translation: I would like to see now a case be filed against the killers, because they killed, it was murder, they massacred, they killed those still alive... Do you think justice has been served if they still weren't charged?]

The Ombudsman filed charges against Napeñas, former President Noynoy Aquino, and former national police chief Alan Purisima due to command responsibility, but these were later dismissed. 

Meanwhile, the families of the slain troops are still seeking justice and struggling to accept what happened to their loved ones nearly a decade later.

[Translation: It's been a long time, but no one has been imprisoned. They just gave names. But what I want is justice for all SAF 44.]

Who does this man want cases filed against? There is only ONE group responsible for the deaths of the SAF 44, the MILF. The MILF says the slaughter of the SAF 44 was totally justified as they fired first and broke the peace treaty between the MILF and the Philippine government. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/03/25/1437257/milf-justifies-saf-44-slay

The police commandos fired first and broke a ceasefire, they used dead comrades as shields, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) did not coddle two top terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

These are among the points raised in the report that the MILF finally submitted to the Senate yesterday, in which the rebel group effectively justified the killing of 44 police Special Action Force (SAF) commandos and the looting of their firearms, equipment and personal effects on Jan. 25.

The MILF report was submitted to the office of Sen. Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs which investigated the Mamasapano incident.

While admitting the use of the high-powered Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle, the MILF insisted that no unnecessary force or methods against international rules on warfare were used, and the MILF fighters used “their advantages to the fullest.”

“Reports about mutilation, beheading and willful killing are unfounded,” the report stated.

Chief MILF negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said the report, based on the findings of the rebel group’s special investigating commission formed to look into the encounter, was submitted upon Poe’s request.

He added that the report was also submitted to Maj. Gen. Dato Sheik Mokhsin Sheik Hassan, head of mission of the International Monitoring Team in Cotobato City last March 22.

“We trust that this report is treated with fairness, and we hope that all the information provided therein will be helpful in your evaluation of the incident,” Iqbal said in the transmittal letter to the Senate.

The MILF admits they killed the SAF 44 but justifies it completely. They say the SAF 44 was in the wrong. Therefore they will not be surrendering the SAF 44's killers.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/03/03/1429644/iqbal-milf-wont-surrender-saf-44s-killers

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Tuesday reiterated that they will not surrender their members involved in the encounter with the Philippine National Police-Special Action Forces in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said in an interview with radio dzMM that surrendering their members to the government is not part of the ceasefire agreement.

"Someone died among them, someone died among us, why do they insist on me that there is nothing in our agreement, that if that happens, we will surrender our forces?" Iqbal said.

Iqbal further stressed that the MILF should not be blamed for the deaths of 44 police commandos during the armed encounter. The group also lost 18 of its members during the clash.

"We're not the ones to blame. They entered without coordination, full-battle gear, there was an encounter... and then after that, we were the ones?" the MILF chief peace negotiator added.

Iqbal also called on the public to look at the "big picture" regarding the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Several lawmakers withdrew their support from the proposed BBL following the Mamasapano incident.

"This BBL, it is key to peace, it is key to development and progress in Mindanao," Iqbal said.

The MILF earlier warned that a diluted BBL would only worsen the problems in Mindanao.

"Look at the big picture." And that is exactly what the government did. They did not halt the peace process and suspend the ceasefire. They did not halt passage of the BARMM law until the MILF men responsible for the death of the SAF 44 were delivered up. Instead the government went ahead and legitimized the terrorist group known as the MILF and anointed them respectable politicians and leaders of the new BARMM. 

The men responsible for the slaughter of the SAF 44 remain protected by the BARMM and the Philippine government does not care. They have not demanded the men be brought to justice and they never will.  During all the remembrances not a single politician condemned the MILF for continuing to proceed the killers of the SAF 44. The calls of justice for the SAF 44 and empty and meaningless. As long as the BARMM exists there will never be justice for the SAF 44. 

Shock! Senator Zubiri Now Believes It's Not Ok For China to Spy on the Philippine Military

In 2019 the Armed Forces of the Philippines entered a deal with a Chines-owned telcommunications firm Mislatel to install cell towers on their bases. The AFP was warned that his was a risky move which would compromise the security of the nation. Of course those in charge did not listen and the plan went through. Now Senator Zubiri wants those towers dismantled. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1207635

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri is planning to ask Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. to remove cell towers built by Chinese companies within Philippine military bases.

In an interview over Radyo 630 on Friday, Zubiri pointed out that the cell towers may have an impact on the national security.

"You know there are [telecommunication company] telco towers by state-owned company of China that is located inside our military compound, in a military base, this happened during the last administration," Zubiri said.

"That's why I will meet Gen. Brawner, our AFP Chief of Staff to ask him to remove that because it might have CCTV where they can see if troops are coming out of the camp, we're doomed, right?" he added.

The AFP and the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company (Mislatel) signed on September 2019 a memorandum of agreement allowing the new telco player to build its communications facilities in military camps and installations.

In the agreement, Mislatel “guarantees that the devices, equipment, and/or structures installed at the site provided by the AFP shall not be used to obtain classified information” as a measure to prevent electronic espionage.

The AFP will determine specific locations with its rental value for use of Mislatel in the installation and management of its communications sites without undermining the operations of affected military units.

Mislatel is also required to “furnish all equipment, labor, and materials necessary to effect the co-location of its facilities and shoulders all expenses in connection with or incidental to the co-location” and payment of all taxes, permits, licenses, and other charges.

The Mislatel consortium, which adopted the name Dito Telecommunity, is composed of Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., Udenna Corp, and China Telecom.

China might have CCTV installed in these towers and pose a threat to the nation? What a turn from Zubiri who defended this deal back in 2019. He even said "it would be unfair to imply that China Telecom’s presence in Mislatel would be a national security concern."

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1053358

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday downplayed concerns of potential security risks over the presence of a Chinese state-owned company in the consortium selected as the provisional new major telecommunications player in the country.

Appearing at the regular Kapihan sa Senado media forum, Zubiri said he sees no national security issues with China Telecom in play in the country’s telecommunications sector, citing the presence of other state-owned Chinese companies in other major sectors.

“National security concern, probably not because the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is 40 percent owned by a state-owned Chinese company. They are doing their part in helping develop our energy sector,” he said.

The NGCP is majority-controlled by Henry Sy Jr. ,along with Robert Coyiuto Jr. of Prudential Guarantee and Assurance, with the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) as technical partner. It holds a 25-year concession to operate and manage the country's power transmission facilities.

The Mislatel consortium -- composed of Dennis Uy's Davao-based Udenna Corporation and its logistics arm, Chelsea Logistics Holdings, together with state-owned China Telecommunications, and the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Corporation, Inc. (Mislatel) -- was selected Wednesday as the country's provisional third major telco that would go against PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom.

Zubiri said it would be unfair to imply that China Telecom’s presence in Mislatel would be a national security concern.

“I believe China Telecom is a publicly listed firm in mainland China. The books are open, they are transparent,” Zubiri said.

He stressed that what is important is that Mislatel lives up to its promises of better services, lower rates and faster Internet connectivity.

And now he wants to pull down these towers over security concerns? 

If Zubiri was a patriot and not a Duterte lapdog, Dennis Uy who backs Mislatel is a good friend of Duterte's, then Zubiri would have been against this deal from the beginning. It's not as if everyone wasn't warned. 

https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/244539-experts-warn-spying-risk-military-contract-china-backed-telco/

The Philippine military is opening up its bases and camps to Chinese government presence by way of a telecommunication company’s cell sites – and it says that’s all right, despite warnings that it would leave itself vulnerable to spying.

On September 11, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) signed a memorandum of agreement with the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company (Mislatel), allowing the company to “build facilities in military camps and installations,” on communication towers within AFP properties.

Mislatel, which has rebranded as “Dito Telecommunity (Dito),” is a consortium of Filipino businessman Dennis Uy’s holdings firm Udenna Corporation with a 35% stake, his listed company Chelsea Logistics with 25%, and the Chinese government-owned and -controlled China Telecom with 40%.

Why should this matter? This means the Chinese government, through China Telecom, has a 40% equity in Mislatel/Dito.

More than just a shareholder, China Telecom will be in charge of building Dito’s nationwide telecommunication infrastructure, as Uy admitted his companies have no such expertise or experience.

China Telecom, by its country’s law, is mandated to spy for its government. Chapter 1, Article 7 of China’s National Intelligence Law states, “Any organization or citizen shall support, assist, and cooperate with the state intelligence work in accordance with the law…”

Under President Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines has moved closer to China. Duterte has downplayed his country’s international law-backed claim to sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea in exchange for loans and pledges of financial cooperation. 

He agreed to joint exploration of the West Philippine Sea’s oil and gas reserves. He’s kept mum about China’s encroachment on Philippine waters, its abuses – even aggression – against Filipinos, especially fishermen. He has also allowed the entry of Chinese nationals working in the offshore gaming industry and Chinese-financed construction projects.

All this while Chinese coast guard and naval ships criss-cross and even patrol the West Philippine Sea nearly unchallenged. Besides a perfunctory, unimplementable order to drive these vessels out, Duterte has largely tolerated this, too.

Given this context, shouldn’t the deal with a China-backed telco raise concerns within the military itself? No, the AFP said, because they have “safeguards in place” and the telco’s equipment would be “separate” from the military’s. Exactly how they would see to this, the AFP’s top brass would not elaborate.

China Telecom is legally mandated to spy for China. That is not a secret. It is well known. And yet Zubiri, because he did not want to upset Duterte, said it was no big deal. The man is either ignorant or he willingly ignored that part about China Telecom being required to spy for China. Whatever the case Zubiri has shown his incompetence in this matter and his unfitness for office by supporting Mislatel.  

What changed his mind all of a sudden? China's increasing aggression in the WPS culminating recently in the blasting of a water canon at a ship sent to supply the Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal. That's the reason he gave for recommending China be shunned in all public infrastructure projects.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1207634

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri has urged the government not to award big-ticket infrastructure projects funded with Filipino taxpayers’ money to Chinese contractors and state-owned companies as their income would only be used to fund China’s bullying tactics in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“Why would we use Filipino taxpayers’ money to pay these state-owned companies? Then their income would go to China which uses them to pay their Navy and Coast Guard to harass us here. That is not right,” Zubiri said in a radio interview on Thursday night.

He said infrastructure projects should be given instead to “friendly” countries like Japan and Korea which have been providing development aid to the Philippines under the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), respectively.

“We might as well give these projects to our neighbors who love us, to our friends who are helping us. South Korea and Japan are providing us with big foreign development aid” Zubiri said.

He also called on the Philippine government to build strong trade partnerships with other countries in view of his earlier suggestion to boycott Chinese products and companies in the Philippines as a sign of protest against China’s continued harassment in Philippine waters.

He pointed out that like Vietnam, the Philippines can execute trade agreements with other countries or enhance existing ones to compensate for Chinese products coming into the country.

He also urged Filipinos “to patronize locally produced agricultural products” - like onions and garlic from Ilocos Norte and other provinces, and vegetables from Cordillera, Bukidnon and the Visayas.

Zubiri however admitted that China has become our number one trade partner, but nevertheless remains optimistic that this can be overcome with the establishment of partnership with other neighboring countries and our entry to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement.

According to available data, the value of Philippine exports to China stands at USD15.1 billion or PHP830.5 billion, comprising 16 percent of the country’s total exports.

The value of imports, meanwhile, is pegged at USD48.9 billion or PHP2.7 trillion, or 33.8 percent of the total imports. This means that the Philippines has a trade imbalance of USD33.8 billion in favor of China.

The Senate President has been very vocal in condemning China’s continued intrusion into Philippine territory, particularly the recent incident where Chinese Coast Guard vessels trailed, blocked and then trained water cannons at the Philippine Coast Guard on a supply run to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

It's a welcome change but that has come too late. Where was Zubiri during Duterte's presidency when he practically gave the country away to China? Where was Zubiri when Duterte called The Hague ruling a "piece of paper?" At this point it's too little too late. We heard all through the Duterte presidency that the Philippines cannot afford to go to war which was to miss the point entirely. The point is that the Philippines should be disengaging from China rather than treating them as a friend. If that had happened back in 2016 we might be in a different place but it did not and we are not. Zubiri's change of heart is too little too late. 

Proper Explosives Storage?

In the wake of the devastating explosion in Beirut the AFP has reassured the public that all their explosive ordnance is stored safely and properly.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1111718

An official of the Philippine Army (PA) on Sunday assured that the stockpile of explosives and ordnance are properly handled and stored. 

Army commander Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana made this statement in the wake of the twin blasts in Lebanon's capital Beirut after some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had been detonated last Tuesday that killed about 154 people, wounded thousands, and displaced local residents. 

"The Philippine Army values the safety not only of its personnel but also of the people, and as such, we ensure the proper handling and stockpiling of all our explosives and ordnance capabilities," he said in a statement to reporters. 

The military does not store nor use ammonium nitrate since its primary use is for agriculture, he added. 

"We nonetheless guarantee the public that we employ measures to avoid such incidents from happening," he added.

However just last year, August 2019, a bomb storage facility located in a Cagayan de Oro PNP camp exploded.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1149387/bomb-storage-in-cagayan-de-oro-pnp-camp-explodes

The storage area of the Philippine National Police’s Region 10 Mobile Force Battalion in Barangay Indahag here exploded on Friday afternoon, August 2. 

“There was smoke and then seconds later a series of the explosion was heard,” said Police Major Evan Viñas, Cagayan de Oro City Police Office spokesperson.

The explosions happened around 2 p.m., he added. 

Viñas said they are still probing whether the facility first caught fire which caused its stored bombs and other explosive devices to blast off, or there was an incident that triggered the explosions which resulted in the fire. 

Viñas said more than 50 pieces of assorted ordnance, including court evidence, vintage mortars dating back to the Second World War, and unexploded bombs from Marawi City, were stored in a shed made of wood and galvanized iron sheets.

More then 50 pieces of assorted ordnance were STORED IN A SHED MADE OF WOOD AND GALVANIZED IRON SHEETS!!

How many more bomb sheds are there across the country? Hopefully the AFP and PNP are looking into the matter and rectifying any lapses in safety rather than just making proclamations serving to pacify the population.

Do the AFP Reserve Forces Reflect Filipino Celebrity Culture?

Doesn't the AFP have enough soldiers on hand without needing Sara Duterte to join their ranks as a reservist?

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1239793/sara-duterte-before-ca-panel-i-feel-like-a-beauty-queen-not-a-soldier

In what seems to be a lighthearted exchange between the Davao City mayor and members of CA’s Committee on National Defense, Senator Imee Marcos asked Sara about previous pronouncements of her father that he is “afraid” of his daughter. 

“May I ask why the President, your father, repeatedly says that he’s afraid of you?” Marcos asked. 

The presidential daughter said that “is something that I think is just in his mind because I have always supported him.” 

“I told him that the only way that I can help you as President of the Philippines is make sure that Davao City continues on to become a progressive city in Mindanao,” she said. 

“I just feel like a beauty queen not a soldier,” she added in jest which elicited laughter in the room.

Sara probably feels like a beauty queen more than a solider because she isn't a soldier. She is also not a beauty queen. Becoming a colonel in the AFP reserves is also no laughing matter so why are the Senators laughing? How and why did Sara even join the AFP reserves?

It appears she has been in the reserves since 2008.

The promotions of the two Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) stalwarts, who both became AFP reservists in 2008, were confirmed with no objections from the members of the powerful body.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1096299 

In 2007 Sara Duterte became Vice Mayor of Davao. She has been an elected official ever since serving as Vice Mayor and now Mayor. As an elected official the President has the prerogative to appoint her to a commission the reserves. She can also apply for one herself. That is the law.

ARTICLE VIII 

INCORPORATION INTO THE RESERVE FORCE 

SEC. 44. Elected Officials and Presidential Appointees.—Elected officials and presidential appointees may be commissioned in the Reserve Force subject to the existing AFP rules and regulations.

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1991/06/27/republic-act-no-7077/

There is also an interesting provision in this law for elected officials appointed to the reserve force.

SEC. 27. Deferment from Training.—The acceptance board, upon evaluation of the evidence to support application for deferment, may grant deferment on the following grounds and conditions: 

(7) Elected officials and presidential appointees whose appointments are passed upon by the Commission on Appointments, during their incumbency.

No elected official appointed to the reserves has to go through military training.  Is it any wonder then that Sara does not feel like a soldier? But there is something a bit off about Sara Duterte's appointment to the reserves that I cannot put my finger on.  You see she was already promoted to the rank of colonel in 2018. The AFP posted the event on their Facebook page.

Sara Duterte promoted to Colonel

 The media even wrote about it.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/421375

She said part of her job is mobilizing volunteers in Davao City and assisting the AFP in times of disaster and in times of situation that needs assistance.  

Joining her in the donning ceremony Wednesday, February 28, were Colonel Isidro Ungab and Colonel Edgar Crisanto Voilan.  

Ungab and Voilan were also promoted from the rank of lieutenant colonel to colonel. 

The three were able to graduate from General Staff College, which is a requirement before a person can apply for colonel rank.  

They were promoted through an executive order, the reason they need to pass through the Commission on Appointments after the official ceremony Wednesday. 

Ungab said a colonel rank means that a reservist can already handle a brigade in the reserved force in the Philippine Army.

"As reserve officers, we act in the training and preparation of our reserved officers, and the reservists, in case of emergency, and in case of war, the reservists will be mobilized to defend our country and in times of peace, reservists are also mobilized to assist in nation building and disaster preparedness," he said.

Maybe her commission has to be reaffirmed every few years? That would explain why she is being confirmed in 2020 as a colonel even though she has been a reservist since 2008 and has held the rank of colonel since 2018.

No way is beauty queen Sara Duterte able to handle a brigade. But what about Manny Pacquiao.

https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/03/07/commission-on-appointments-confirms-8-lawmakers-as-afp-reserve-force-colonels.html

The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the appointments of eight lawmakers as colonels in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reserve force. 

Senators Loren Legarda and Manny Pacquiao, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Farinas, as well as Gwendolyn Garcia, Sandra Sema, Roy Loyola, and Joel Mayo Almario faced the CA Wednesday wearing their military uniforms. 

There were no oppositors and they did not go through the Committee's usual question and answer routine. 

"After a thorough deliberation your committee unanimously voted to favorably recommend for the Commission's confirmation and its consent to the ad interim appointments and nominations," CA committee on national defense acting chairman Sen. Gregorio Honasan said, according to a House Press Release. 

President Rodrigo Duterte submitted the lawmaker's names to the CA last week.

This is article is also from 2018 but does not mention Sara even though it is in the same timeframe as when she was made colonel. No matter though. Let's focus on other things like noted mutineer Honasan being the national defense acting chairman! It's interesting that Honasan says these are "ad interim appointments and nominations."  That means they are temporary.  But as an elected official Sara has been in the reserves for twelve years now. Is that "ad interim?"

Senator Legarda is included among these appointments but she graduated from the National Defense College of the Philippines in 1993. It is not clear when she entered the reserves but she was first elected to the Senate in 1998 and likely entered their ranks soon after. In 2017 she even wrote a paper for Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College.

Legarda also received the Academic Excellence for Research for her paper "The AFP in the Humanitarian Space: Building Resilience, Fostering Resilient Communities," which explores the role of the military not just in responding to disasters, but also in reducing climate and disaster risks.

https://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2017/1212_legarda1.asp

No doubt she is a smart lady but does that qualify her to become a colonel in the AFP reserves?   She is 60 years old and the AFP's mandatory retirement age is 56.

Let's look more at Pacquiao.  He entered the reserves in 2006.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/105617/army-promotes-pacquiao-to-lieutenant-colonel

Bautista said in a statement that Paquiao and the reserve force “are indispensable stakeholders in our campaign to win the peace through the implementation and execution of our Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan”. 

Pacquiao defended his appointment as lieutenant colonel by saying that his election as representative of Saranggani made him eligible for the promotion. 

“Despite that knowledge, I did not seek it out until I was told after the Mosley fight that I was being considered for commissionship as lieutenant colonel. Fairly, I was not promoted because I was an enlisted staff,” Pacquiao said. 

PA Spokesperson Major Harold Cabunoc said “his commissionship was based on the provisions of Section 44 of Republic Act 7077 which provides that ‘elected officials and presidential appointees may be commissioned into the Reserve Force subject to the existing AFP rules and regulations’.” 

Pacquiao earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in September 21, 2011. He previously held the position of Senior Master Sergeant and was designated as Command Sergeant Major of the 15th Ready Reserve Division. 

Pacquiao first entered the Army’s reserve force in April 27, 2006 as a sergeant. He later rose to technical sergeant in December 1 of the same year. 

On October 7 of the following year, he became a master sergeant, the highest rank in the enlisted personnel. 

Two years later, on May 4, 2009, he was given the special rank of senior master sergeant in honor of his accomplishment as number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world. 

In the same year, Pacquiao was also given an honorary doctorate degree in humanities by the Southwestern University of Cebu City. 

“He can also help in the recruitment of patriotic Filipinos to join the PA Reserve Force as we endeavor to build the force into one great component of a world-class Army that is a source of national pride,” Bautista added.

It is clear from these highlighted sections that Manny Pacquiao being in the reserves is a major PR win for the AFP. Manny was promoted to Lt. Col. in 2011 which prompted some questions as to his eligibility.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/04/14/1312614/afp-no-full-colonel-promotion-pacquiao-despite-recent-win 

Manny Pacquiao is not likely to be promoted to full colonel despite his impressive victory against American boxer Timothy Bradley, Jr. last Sunday. 

Armed Forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, Jr. said active and reserve officers are required to take the Command and General Staff Course (CGSC) to become eligible for promotion to full colonel. 

There are requirements or things to be undertaken before one is promoted, Tutaan said in a press briefing on Monday. One has to undergo Command and General Staff Course before one gets promoted. This is true also for the reserve force, he added. 

Tutaan said the CGSC trains soldiers to handle command positions. A graduate of CGSC is eligible to become a commander of a battalion, which consists of about 500 soldiers. 

Tutaan said among the subjects taught in the one-year course are offense and defense operations and operations doctrine. 

Pacquiao, who represents the lone district of Sarangani at the House of Representatives, was named a reserve Army lieutenant colonel in 2011. 

The donning of the rank raised questions among critics who believe that Pacquiao did not meet some requirements. Critics pointed out that Pacquiao did not finish college, a requirement to become a military officer. 

The military, however, claimed that Pacquiao could be commissioned as lieutenant colonel because he is a lawmaker. 

While Pacquiao is not eligible to the next higher rank, he is nevertheless entitled to a military merit medal.        

Eventually Pacquiao did become a full colonel but only because he is an elected official and because he completed the GCSC course. Now he can command a battalion of 500 troops! What a joke! Imagine sending Manny Pacquaio out into the jungle to hunt down Abu Sayyaf. Not gonna happen. Neither will Sara Duterte or Loren Legrada being leading a battalion of 500 troops into battle.

I joke about Manny Pacquiao ever commanding a battalion but actually he has been given command of a battalion consisting of some 3,000 reservists.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1066266

Senator Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao has vowed to help improve further the capability of Army reserve units in central Mindanao as he formally assumed on Monday the post of new commander of the area's Army reserve force. 

Pacquiao, who holds the rank of full Colonel in the Army Reserve Command (Arescom), was designated as brigade commander of the Army's 2203rd Ready Reserve Infantry Brigade, which covers the entire Region 12 (Soccsksargen) and Maguindanao province. 

He took over the post from retired reservist Lt. Col. Jaime Yangzon in a ceremony held at the Army's 1002nd Brigade headquarters, Camp Hermigildo Agaab in Barangay Pulutana, Malungon town, Sarangani province. 

The senator said he will pursue programs that would help build the capability of some 3,000 reservists in the area. 

He specifically cited training programs and related activities that would help improve the performance of reservists as support units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), especially in the conduct of medical and civic action programs. 

Pacquiao rallied the region's reservists to continue providing the best service to the country even without compensation and recognition.

As volunteers, Pacquiao said they are expected "to share our resources, spend our own money and even risk our lives because we truly love our country."

"He will shoulder huge responsibilities in terms of improving our reserve force and make sure that they are always ready," he said. 

Pacquiao assured that he is up to the task and is now more capable, being an elected government official. 

"I can achieve a lot of things since I am an active senator," he later told reporters.

It seems that reservists are not compensated by the government for their time.

What is the point of the president appointing Sara Duterte and Manny Pacquiao and other politicians as reservists? No way are they going to go into the battlefield and the law exempts them from training. They are not soldiers. They are politicians. Pacquiao even admits he can do his job better as a reservist because he is a Senator.

How does appointing elected officials to the reserves advance the readiness of the AFP? It doesn't but legislators are invited by the AFP to apply for a commission in the reserves nonetheless.

http://wingatchalian.com/news/gatchalian-signs-up-for-afp-reserve-force-commends-belmontes-support-for-mandatory-rotc/

“Every Filipino has a role to play in defending Philippine sovereignty.” 

These were the words of Valenzuela City Representative Win Gatchalian as he signified his intent to pursue a commission in the Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Force (AFPRF) at a briefing held at the House of Representatives on Tuesday. 

At the AFPRF Development Briefing, sponsored by the Magdalo Para sa Pilipino party-list and the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Reservist and Retiree Affairs, House members were oriented about the vision, mission, and current state of the reservist force. 

Legislators were also invited to apply for a commission in the reserve force. Under Sec. 44 of Republic Act No. 7077, the “Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act,” elected officials and presidential appointees may be commissioned into the Reserve Force with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, or its equivalent, in the various military services. 
“This is the perfect way for me to show my strong support for reinstating mandatory reserve officer training in colleges and universities. Every responsible citizen should be ready and willing to serve and defend our country in times of war and national emergency, no matter what their position or station in life. Required reservist training is one of the best ways to ensure that we are always ready,” said Gatchalian.

"Required reservist training is one of the best ways to tenure we are always ready?" But elected officials with a commission in the reserves are exempt from training. Why would the AFP be soliciting legislators to join the reserves? Many of them are old, unskilled, and unfit for military duties. Plus they already have their hands full just being legislators.

Maybe it's all about the public relations. Maybe the AFP thinks they can get more to join the reserves if famous politicians are seen in their ranks.  Maybe the AFP reserve forces reflect Filipino celebrity culture.