ROTC To Be Mandatory Again?

The proposed plan of senior government officials to revive Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) as mandatory in schools deserves to be scrutinized. While we agree that discipline should be instilled in the citizenry with emphasis on government officials, we disagree that ROTC is the only venue in infusing discipline among the youth or citizenry.

In high school, I had CAT (Citizen’s Auxiliary Training). In college, an ROTC. What did I learn from them?

In CAT, I was a cadet major but before receiving my name tag as an officer, I underwent foolish initiation. I had to roll scaling around 500 meters. I gave three rose flowers to the one of the prettiest in school. With  a blindfold, after turning me around 20 times, an initiating officer walked me around. As to where, who cares?

Did I learn anything from CAT? Of course I did learn to march with precision, execute a brisk military salute, how to dismantle and assemble the ancient Garand rifle and how to "stomach in, breast out". To my recollection, that was it but we were also lectured on the role of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in times of war and of peace.

There’s not much difference in ROTC. Marching drills were always there but again, to the best of my recollection, the basics of military tactics and operations were not taught to us. Probably, that is exclusively for Philippine Military Academy cadets and cadettes.

To sum it all, my military training as a high school and college student is 85% marching. The remaining 15% were lectures mostly theoretical and has no place in one’s civilian life except those who pursue a military career to say the least.

Another point brought out: ROTC is a good breeding ground for future members of the AFP. That claim has no solid ground.

How many military personnel today who had ROTC are good and faithful soldier of the republic? Most of the officers are millionaires if not billionaires living in gated subdivisions and driving luxury cars. How did they procure such properties? If soldiering is one of the best paying jobs, thousands would have already joined the AFP annually.  There is also a perceived corruption among the ranks and file of the military. Remember that most of them had their ROTC.

National Defense spokesman Batac is correct is saying that new enlistments from a reintroduced ROTC augment the AFP force. Can these neophytes survive in the battlefield?

At some point during the Marcos dictatorship, armed conflict in Mindanao was heavy. Mr. Marcos sent new AFP recruits from the ROTC and as a result, the government forces were massacred.

In the elementary grades, there is a Good Manners and Right Conduct subject that orients the children the basics of discipline. Children are taught to be polite, helpful, honest, obedient etc. Then there is the Boy Scout movement that molds the kids to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

In the secondary and collegiate levels, there are subjects such as ethics and related subjects. Private schools teach their students religion and basic theology. (I am not familiar in  Muslim Mindanao if  their faith , a religion of peace, is in their curriculum.) All of these, when taught and learned religiously can bring out the best discipline possible for a person to achieve and live by.

ROTC must remain as an elective. As a nation, we have no external enemies except the insurgency and Mindanao issues.

If the government is really serious in instilling discipline, government officials from top to bottom must serve as our model. How could this be when most of them are perceived to be corrupt and scalawag?

AFP personnel, elected and appointed officials please clean first your backyard.  We just elected a president who is not corrupt nor will be corrupt or corrupted, God willing.

Will you? -30-