The 125-year-old Philippine Army is expected to have 7,000 more Army regulars in 2023, bringing to 117,000 the total number of land defenders.

Speaking in an exclusive interview in the Daily Tribune's Straight Talk digital show on Tuesday, Philippine Army commanding general, Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., said the recruitment of more soldiers is part of the integrated plan with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, in defending the country's territory while maximizing the increasing number of regular soldiers and reservists.

With the present strength of 110,000 regular soldiers, he said, the number of reservists keeps on expanding.

He said though that there are around 200,000 reservists but cannot provide the exact figure because the number decreases and/or increases depending on the willingness and volunteerism.

"For the reserved component of the Philippine Army, we have double the number of our regular forces," Brawner said, adding that reservists serve as military force multipliers who can be called upon anytime when there's a need to defend our territory.

Reservists, he said, can also help the country's security forces in pushing for development programs and in disaster response operations.

"Reservists are always on the front lines during trying times," Brawner said.

More reservists

He went on to say that more reservists from "all walks of life" are willing to join the Army force with pure intentions and solid volunteerism spirit to provide necessary services to the people.

"Our reservists don't have salaries, and yet they are willing to serve the country to sacrifice even their own life. Of course, it is dangerous that they are on the front lines," he said.

Reservist applicants not only come from the youth sector but lawmakers, senators, congressmen, mayors, and governors are very enthusiastic to do the job, he added.

Being the largest among the three branches of service, he said the Philippine Army is composed of around 70 percent of the total AFP population. This includes the 6,000 newly recruited soldiers — both officers and enlisted personnel in 2022.

The Philippine Army, the Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Air Force, he said, are working together to see to it that Filipinos will get served accordingly by the country's defenders.

"We have the plan to defend our territory, it's an integrated plan where each of this branch of service would play a very vital role in the defense of our territory," he said.

One of the best

With the AFP modernization program, Brawner said the country's defense sector is gradually improving its status in the Indo-Pacific region as one of the world-class armies.

"In fact in the entire world, our soldiers are one of the best and this has been proven in various skills competitions," he said, adding that the Philippine Army is one of the most experienced sectors in terms of its fight against insurgency and warfare.

Under the Philippine Army's roadmap, Brawner said the AFP aims to establish a world-class army that can be a national pride by 2028.