Soldiers Are the Hopes of the Nation

CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, CamSur–A ranking government leader in the Bicol Region has proclaimed the soldiers as the new hopes of the nation in a speech delivered yesterday, a military report said.

Camarines Norte Governor Edgardo Tallado made the pronouncement during the closing ceremony of the Candidate Soldier Course held here at 10:00am yesterday, Friday.

Three hundred forty eight new soldiers took their oath as full-blooded Army personnel who will be deployed in Bicol’s six provinces.

In his message, Tallado challenged the soldiers to prove their worth as public servants.

“Men like you are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice to help bring solutions to our nation’s problems and not becoming part of the problem,” said Tallado before 348 newly enlisted soldiers who will be deployed in Bicol’s six provinces.

Tallado likewise reminded the soldiers about their non-traditional roles in the service of Bicol’s communities. “You are our reliable partners in nation-building and in helping the government solve our people’s various problems,” he added.

Two hundred sixty-four or 75% of the newly enlisted soldiers are Bicolanos. The rest are recruits from northern Luzon and some provinces in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Nineteen soldiers (5%) are college gradueates, 15% have some college education and the bulk, 49%, are high school graduates.

More than 5,000 young men took the written entrance examinations for this batch but only about 50% passed the tests which include logical reasoning, basic English grammar and arithmetic.

After their 10-day administrative leave, the soldiers will be deployed to their respective brigades or battalions around the Bicol Region.

As the youngest Infantry Division in the country, the 9^th ID is continuously filling up its ranks with new recruits as it carry out its mandate. More soldiers are also needed to replace personnel who were removed from the ranks due to retirement or transfer to another field units.

Major General Ruperto Pabustan, the Commander of the 9^th Infantry Division, has directed the soldiers to remain loyal to the flag and be committed in giving their honest-to-goodness service to the people in the region.