CANDIDATE SOLDIERS. Senior Master Sergeant Melchor Bitara, 1st Infantry sergeant major (left), administers Monday (Dec. 20, 2021) the oath of the 160 candidate soldiers at the 1st Division Training School in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur. The new recruits will undergo a 16-week basic military training to mold and transform them into confident and competent soldiers. (Photo courtesy of the 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs Office) ZAMBOANGA CITY - A total of 160 recruits on Monday started their 16-week basic military training at the 1st Division Training School (1DTS) at Camp Sang-an in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur. The trainees, who belong to the Candidate Soldier Course Class 703-2021, consisted of 22 females and 138 males. Col. Rey Alemania, 2nd Mechanized Brigade commander, was the keynote speaker during the opening rites. Alemania reminded the trainees that their entry to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) requires their willingness to transition to a regimented military lif