Social progress requires more than just obedient soldiers
THE past two years have been revealing about the true nature of the military as an institution in the Philippines: brutal, oppressive, and in service of only the ruling class. Any candidates for public office who continue to support and promote it should only be assumed as the same: brutal, oppressive, and in service of only the ruling class.
Two such candidates are presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and vice-presidential candidate Sara Duterte. On January 19, Duterte, in particular, stated that she would use the Office of the Vice President to ask the House of Representatives to pass a bill mandating military service for all youth aged 18, citing that the initiative would “inspire patriotism” in the youth and encourage them to “become proactive community partners” and “promote their own welfare.” This is only backed up by Marcos’s claims that Duterte intends to take charge of the Department of National Defense if she were to assume the position of Vice-President.
There is something to be said about how, instead of addressing the issues facing everyday Filipinos, Duterte seems hellbent on just adding to them. Proposing mandatory military service does nothing to address the surge in Covid-19 cases, rampant corruption in the health sector, and the crippling lack of social aid; in fact, such a proposal would only further divert crucial funding from these issues.
In fact, it is entirely unclear why Duterte thinks that the youth should learn to serve their community and promote their own welfare through the military. Bodies such as community organizations and local governments already exist to fulfill these very purposes; not to mention everyday occupations such as health work and manufacturing that already contribute immensely to society.
Furthermore, with the dismal track record that both military personnel on the ground and the generals that litter the government’s Covid-19 task forces have in addressing the pandemic, it is clear that the only thing the military is good at is wasting money and taking lives.
Why, then, promote mandatory military service? The answer is clear in how Duterte associates the military with patriotism and community service: she sees the soldier as the model citizen. She, her running mate Marcos, and her allies would much prefer a citizenry trained in the logic of the military: obedient and unquestioning of the oppressive status quo. Just as Marcos recently stated he would expand the funding of the NTF-ELCAC, and how Duterte reportedly desires control of the DND, Duterte’s statement is a clear message: any dissent will be met with force. The youth must work to overthrow the oppressive status quo, but candidates like Duterte and Marcos do everything in their power to preserve it.
Spark wholly denounces Duterte’s proposal for mandatory military services for youth aged 18. We believe it is a clear sign of what a Marcos-Duterte regime would be like fascist, militaristic, and tyrannical. We believe no candidate can be trusted if they view the youth not as people, but as mere ammunition. (PR)
