MALAYBALAY CITY (PIA)—The tough military basic training for 128 Candidate Soldier Class 669-2021 started Monday, July 12, at the 4th Division Training School in the Headquarters of the 403rd Infantry “Peacemaker” Brigade, Camp Bahian, Malaybalay City.
Lieutenant Colonel Christian C. Uy, commandant of the 4th Division Training School based at Camp Bahian said this new set of recruits included 91 males and 37 females. He said some of these promising individuals were former rebels, while some have served as Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) auxiliary force.
Majority of the trainees have completed bachelor’s degrees and are primarily from the Mindanao region, he added.
“The reception rite is one of the toughest tasks of becoming a soldier and adapting to life in the Army because this includes physical readiness training, road marches in the early heat of scorching sun, and confidence-building. Aside from the tests of survival, fitness, and soldier skills, the aspirants will also be introduced to warrior tasks and battle drills. The road to success in training is difficult because they must endure, obey, and follow the fundamentals of military training,” Uy said.
He also explained that the aspirants must endure the sixteen weeks of rigorous training divided into three phases: transformation; basic squad training; and application of knowledge—all of which will mold them to become full-fledged members of the Philippine Army.
Brigadier General Ferdinand T. Barandon, commander of the Army’s 403rd Brigade, meanwhile, said that the training is physically and mentally demanding because the Philippine Army wants to transform them into a competent, confident, capable, and professional soldiers guided by the core values.
“We want them to embrace the warrior ethos so that they are all ready to serve the Army physically, mentally, psychologically, and be effective riflemen and trusted members of the fireteam and squad committed to accomplish the unit’s mission upon deployment to their respective assignments,” Barandon said. (Brandy B. Tangob, 403rd Bde, 4ID, PA/PIA-Bukidnon)
