Actor Guidicelli urges youth to join AFP reserve corps

FILE: STAR POWER. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Reserve Private Matteo Guidicelli (right) shares with Baguio media on Friday that he joined the reserve force to fulfill his dream and to give back to the country which all citizens must do as responsible Filipinos. He joined the National Youth Commission chair Undersecretary Ronals Gian Cardema (left) and other officers of the commission. (Photo by Mary Joy Ildefonso, OJT/ PNA)

BAGUIO CITY — With the money that television and movie star Matteo Guidicelli is reaping, he could just be partying but instead, he volunteered to join the reserve corps of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

“When I came back to the Philippines I started my career and just a few months back, I associated myself a lot with the PNP (Philippine National Police), with the Army,” Guidicelli, who has a rank of Private in the reserve corps, said on Friday.

A panelist at the Sangguniang Kabataan national convention here that was organized by the National Youth Commission (NYC), Guidicelli said it has been his dream to be part of the armed forces ever since he was in college in the United States.

Guidicelli, whose father is a foreigner but holds a Philippine passport, said he joined the Army Reserve Force two weeks ago to realize that longtime dream.

“At first, it was intimidating to hear the reserve force are gonna go to war but there are also different things a reserve can do,” he said.

Guidicelli said he has a lot of projects for youths like him, which he will be proposing to the command.

He said it is the responsibility of every Filipino to share something to the country and joining the reserve command as a volunteer would allow him to give back to the country.

For a start, he has been invited to talk to young people in the country, encouraging youth leaders to join the AFP reserve force.

“It is my advocacy and something I’m doing for the Filipino people and for the country,” he said.

He said joining the reserve force as a volunteer can be a great help, especially during calamities.

Guidicelli, who is also an athlete, said he will undergo a one-month training for rangers in June.

He said being in the reserve force does not require him to report every day, allowing him to continue doing his full-time job in the entertainment industry.

Meanwhile, NYC chairperson and chief executive officer, Undersecretary Ronald Gian Cadema, said they invited Guidicelli to the event to encourage youth leaders and other elected SK officials to be part of nation-building.

“In other countries like Singapore and South Korea, the youth are mandated to give military service and we can see that they have a strong country, a developed nation and strength of their society,” Cardema said.

The NYC is supportive of the move to bring back the reserve officer training corps (ROTC) but focused on preparing the cadets to respond to emergencies and securing the country when called upon by the Commander-in-Chief.

President Rodrigo Duterte has pushed for the revival of the ROTC that will capacitate the youth to be ready for any eventuality. (With reports from Mary Joy Ildefonso, OJT/PNA)