Early this year the Armed Forces of the
Philippines has dropped the names of State universities and colleges that are
perennial recruitment hubs of the communist movement in the country.
In an instant one would make a
conclusion that the University of the Philippines (UP) will be at the forefront
of such activities.
One alumna is making sure her story
known to destroy such stereotyping of her beloved (UP).
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| 1LT. Marjorie Siwa, UP alumna (photo credit to PNA) |
1LT. Marjorie Siwa who dreams of
becoming a lawyer someday, took a slight detour in College and tried something
that would challenge her along the way.
She joined the UP’s Reserve Officers
Training Corps (ROTC).
“In my stint in UP, first year, may choice kami kung ano
yung kukunin namin (we are
given the choice on what we want to take up) [I wanted to] be challenged, [I
wanted to] strengthen my leadership skills,” she said to Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Siwa laments that’s before she used to
have wrong impressions about the military before she started her training.
“Before, my
perception of the military is purely one-sided, one dimensional, fight (it's purely
about fighting). [I really thought], napaka stoic naman, hindi (They are so stoic and not so)
approachable. Pero nung sumali na ako (But when I
joined), Para ka maka-survive sa military kailangan mo ng (To survive in the
military, you need) intense discipline, commitment to serve, hard work,” she said.survive sa military kailangan mo ng (To
survive in the military, you need) intense discipline, commitment to serve,
hard work,” she said.
She graduated from ROTC’s Military
Science 1 in 2008 while she was taking up Political Science at the University
of the Philippines in Diliman.
After graduating
Siwa worked for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as a civilian
employee.
“When I was a
civilian employee, na-amaze ako sa lawak ng work na
ginagawa ng (I was amazed with the scope of work done by the) AFP. (I was
also amazed with the) dedication (of) men and women in uniform, nakikita ko
yung mga sundalo kahit further. I joined
the force” she added.
At present, Siwa is assigned that
supervises the civil-military engagements as an administrative officer of the
9th Infantry Division in the Bicol Region.
The AFP as an organization hopes to see
more Siwa in the organization as compared to our neighbors we are lagging
behind in terms of civilians who has undergone military training.
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Report from PNA
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