“I truly hope that our youth do not grow up to be a Walden Bello — an ungrateful citizen who sleeps peacefully at the comfort of their homes, unable to say a prayer or a silent ‘thank you’ to the men and women who became martyrs while countering violent extremism, insurgency, and terrorism,” Sara said in a press statement on Wednesday (Jan. 19).
Bello described Sara’s proposal as a “mask off moment for the dictator-in-waiting”.
Sara and Bello are both gunning for the vice president position come May elections.
During the UniTeam Alliance's virtual caravan on Wednesday, Sara said she will push for the imposition of mandatory military service for all 18 years old, male and female.
"Nakikita po natin ito sa ibang bansa, sa South Korea, Israel. Nakikita po natin doon sa kanila," she said during the online caravan.
"Hindi ROTC lang na isang subject, isang weekend o isang buwan sa isang taon. Dapat lahat kapag tungtong mo ng 18 years old, you will be given a subsidy, you will be asked to serve our country doon sa ating Armed Forces of the Philippines," Duterte added, referring to the Reserved Officers Training Program.
She said the obsession over dictatorship in the Philippines “is as ancient as the belief that the youth have no actual important role in building a nation that is progressive and peaceful.”
“If only Mr. Bello did not stop at what he has been so stuck in over the past many years — dictatorship in the Philippines, something that we know is a lie in the present time — he would have a better understanding of what I truly stand for,” Sara said.
She said only the likes of Bello would think of mandatory military service for Filipino citizens “as arming them and telling them to kill – instead of looking at it as something that inspires patriotism in the youth.”
“If only he wasn’t so quick to react, he would have realized that I also emphasized the need for the youth to be prepared for disasters and become proactive community partners in rescue operations and in aiding victims of calamities,” she said.
“I wanted them to be able to stand on their own, help themselves, help the communities, and help the nation,” she added. (BY JUDY QUIROS)
Facebook Conversations