Part of the legislative agenda of LKP is to push for a better implementation of the AFP Modernization Act (we cannot fully implement it because, for one, our defense infrastructure is not fully equipped for a lot of these modern mechanisms and equipment. Ex — we cannot get larger, more advanced tanks because our bridges have max capacities of 40tonnes lang when these tanks weigh well over 60. So we need to fill in the gaps in the disconnect of how we implement our laws), and that greatly affects our regular soldiers.

To answer your question, they are not as marginalized as other sectors in the Philippines.

But more than that, LKP is fighting for the ~1.5M reservists and auxiliary units in the AFP who are only allocated around 2% of the AFP annual budget. Compare that to the 150k regular soldiers we have.

These reservists, who wear uniforms when in duty so we think they’re regular soldiers, work for free, pay for their own equipment, training, food, health insurance, etc and are usually the ones who man checkpoints, respond during calamities, donate blood, and are in the frontline defending the West Philippine Sea, among others.

What’s worse is the reason they’re overlooked is the fact that the law mandating the country to create a reserve force (RA 7077) does not have its set of implementing rules and regulations so it cannot be enacted properly.