'Revival of ROTC will be good for the Philippines'

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during the first year of his presidency he declared that he wants the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC),to be mandatory again. 

Duterte’s allies in both the House of Representatives and the Senate have shown support for this call as evidenced by the numerous bills proposing for it to be revived.

Many legislators have called this move to foster nationalism among the nation’s youth which are all present in industrialized and progressive countries like that of Taiwan, South Korea, Canada, United Kingdom, and Russia.

ROTC cadets (photo credit to owner)

Ms. Getsy Tiglao of Manila Bulletin last November 28, 2018 wrote an insightful article titled “Revival of ROTC will be good for the Philippines”, wherein she made updated details were we are in the revival of the ROTC and the benefits it will bring in the country if it is re installed as a mandatory requirement for all graduating college students.

 

For the benefit of our reading public and for purposes of giving and clarity of information we are quoting fully the article below:

Revival of ROTC will be good for the Philippines

Surprisingly, there has been overwhelming support from both houses of Congress for the Duterte administration’s plan to revive the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), a short-term military training program that used to be a requirement for graduation of college students.

Several senators and congressmen across the political spectrum have endorsed the restoration of the ROTC and various bills have been filed ever since President Duterte declared in his first year in office that he wants the ROTC to become mandatory again.

This is a rare show of unity from the executive and legislative branches on a crucial piece of legislation that may well determine whether or not we will join the ranks of strong and progressive nations in Asia.

The Asian Tigers are historically known to have developed because of the strong nationalist sentiments of their people, which kick-started their economic growth. Their determined governments championed local industries and stimulated exports, while their businessmen chose to invest in their own country instead of bringing their money abroad (unlike some of our business elite).

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian in his Senate Bill No. 200 noted that many countries in the world, including Taiwan, South Korea, Canada, United Kingdom, and Russia, have a mandatory ROTC for its male citizens. “It behooves upon these nations to tap their youth to be trained and developed in military training and exercises for civic and defense preparedness,” he said.

In the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu filed House Bill No. 5113 which seeks to “resuscitate” the ROTC which he believes will help instill patriotism among the youth.

For his part, Senator Richard Gordon, agreed that the ROTC will foster nationalism among the youth and encourage their participation in public in civic affairs. His proposed Citizen Service Act of 2017 (Senate Bill No. 1417) seeks basic training for a “citizens corps” who may be mobilized for defense or civil service especially during times of calamities and disasters.

Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, the son of a former military chief of staff, has filed House Bill No. 1260, which also proposes a mandatory ROTC. With the new K-12 school program, the administration’s plan is to push for a law that will require ROTC for Grades 11 and 12.

The bills currently pending in Congress will amend Republic Act No. 9163, the National Service Training Program, which had made the ROTC optional and caused the reduction in the number of reservists in the country.

The Philippine military has also stated that it lost a wide pool of potential recruits when the ROTC program was weakened. Previously, trainees in the advanced ROTC course went on to serve in the various branches of the military and became highly ranked officers even without attending the Philippine Military Academy.

Rep. Abu, whose bill will also amend the Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act (R.A. 7077), said bringing back the ROTC will “awaken the fire in the younger generation” to serve and protect our democracy.

The program, he said, “affirms the values that we have always been taught as children: discipline, camaraderie, respect for others, especially those who’ve come before us, and a deep sense of nationalism and love for country.”

We couldn’t agree more. There is a yearning among Filipinos to discover who they are as people, knowing full well that they are not “little brown Americans.” President Duterte’s constant harangues against the US colonizer was not so much an anti-American rant as it was a clarion call for Filipinos to discover their true self.

Filipinos should ignore the Western media’s characterization of nationalism as a bad thing. It is good. All the rich nations in the world, including the US and the UK, developed because of the patriotism of their citizens. The UK’s vote for Brexit, in fact, was the voice of their people asserting their right self-determination and their refusal to submit to the orders of European Union bureaucrats based in Brussels.

Rep. Abu, whose bill wil Surprisingly, there has been overwhelming support from both houses of Congress for the Duterte administration’s plan to revive the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), a short-term military training program that used to be a requirement for graduation of college students.

Several senators and congressmen across the political spectrum have endorsed the restoration of the ROTC and various bills have been filed ever since President Duterte declared in his first year in office that he wants the ROTC to become mandatory again.

A form of mandatory military service for our youth will help instill in them a love for their own country. They will gain discipline and a sense of responsibility, and maybe instead of leaving for abroad they will stay here and help our economy grow.

In the future, the government should consider a program stronger than the ROTC and more similar to Israel’s military conscription program where both men and women over the age of 18 are required to serve in the military for a period of two to three years.

There is only one group of people who is sure to oppose this planned reinstitution of the ROTC — the Communists and their left-wing party-list representatives. Expect howls of protest from this group of hypocrites who take money from the government and yet on the side are working to destabilize it.

The Communists and their party-list fronts know that once the ROTC is returned, this will mean an increase in the number of Filipinos who will fight for their country with many serving in the military. With the revival of nationalism, there will also be fewer youth who will be joining the ranks of the Communist New People’s Army.

To the senators and congressmen supporting the revival of the ROTC, steel yourselves against the criticisms of these terror groups and their political fronts. They may couch their arguments in terms like “militarization” or “return of hazing” but don’t be fooled. The Communists want a weakened military so they can grab power for themselves. It’s time to end their 50-year reign of terror.

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